


The Good, the Bad, and the Okay I Guess...

by Lenni51074



Series: To The Moon And Back [4]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: And don't even get me started on Haggar, Angst, Coran is an evil Loremaster, Dungeons and Dragons, F/M, Fluff, Humour, Idiots in Love, In other words his dice are cursed, Is it any wonder he turned out the way he did?, Krolia is a kickass mother, Lance has my luck with 20 sided dice, Life-bonds, Lotor has some serious parental issues, Mostly Canon Compliant, Nerd games are the best games, Pining, Sarcasm is how you and Keith hug, Shiro is a sore loser, Space sitcom, Unrequited Love, Why do villains gotta be so hot?, Zarkon is a terrible father
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:33:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 39,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23852374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lenni51074/pseuds/Lenni51074
Summary: Allura stuns the team with her willingness to consider a risky alliance, but with Shiro backing her decision, it appears that it might just be the key to bringing down the Galra Empire.Keith is sent on a critical mission to meet with a senior member of the Blade of Marmora, and makes a shocking discovery about his past.Shiro’s continued erratic behaviour causes you concern, whilst Lance suffers from unrequited love as Allura and Lotor draw even closer together. It appears that a new alliance between the Galra Empire and Altea may come to fruition, and with it, hope for new peace within the galaxy.Keith returns to the team with some surprising allies in tow, and a betrayal rocks the team to their core. Keith’s return brings yet another shift in the structure of the team, and with it, a new-found maturity for all of the Paladins.You and Keith fight an enemy within, as your love for one another may be the very thing that is used against you.
Relationships: Allura (Voltron) & Reader, Allura/Lotor (Voltron), Coran (Voltron) & Reader, Hunk (Voltron) & Reader, Keith & Kolivan (Voltron), Keith & Krolia (Voltron), Keith (Voltron)/Reader, Lance (Voltron) & Reader, Pidge | Katie Holt & Reader, Shiro (Voltron) & Reader
Series: To The Moon And Back [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1654015
Comments: 95
Kudos: 92





	1. Break On Through To The Other Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a daring mission at a key Galra outpost, the team considers a risky alliance. One of the Paladins leads a mission to retrieve an important prisoner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter is based on Series 5, Episode 1: “The Prisoner”

“That’s our target,” Shiro said as the Lions approached the heavily fortified planetoid below. “The moon of Treigok.”

“According to our latest intelligence, that’s where the Galra are building their new upgraded sentries,” Allura added.

Shiro continued, “Taking out this base will mean the Galra Empire won’t be able to resupply their bases and ships for months.”

“And how do we know this isn’t a trap?” Lance asked, voicing the scepticism that you all felt.

“Well, the intel’s checked out so far,” Shiro reminded him. “Everything is exactly how we were told it would be.”

Alarms sounded as Galra attack drones headed towards you. Shiro grunted, “Including preparing us for those!”

“Allura, I’m sending you the signals to interfere with the drones,” Pidge told the princess.

Allura confirmed she had acquired the signal, and activated the Blue Lion’s sonic radar to disrupt the Galra drones. As anticipated, they shut down the moment they were hit with the sonic waves.

“Now let’s take them out before they recalibrate and report our approach,” Shiro instructed, and the five Lions went to work with their jaw blades, destroying every drone in short order. Once the drones had been taken out, Shiro gave the order to go into the base. “We only have five minutes before the Galra base realises the drones aren’t responding. Be careful to stay in formation. And don’t touch the sides!”

The Lions flew through the winding tunnels of the moon, attempting to stay as central as possible. Naturally, though, it was Hunk who touched the sides with the Yellow Lion, even as he muttered to himself not to touch the sides. One wall buckled, and immediately red-hot lava began to flow through the crack. He apologised as he knocked Pidge out of the way as he tried to outfly the lava.

When Allura realised what was happening, she turned Blue around and attempted to halt the lava’s progress with Blue’s freeze ray. It was only a temporary fix, but it allowed the rest of you enough time to make your way through to the main part of the Galra base. The Lions flew through an opening and found themselves trapped between the lava flowing below and the ceiling above.

Just as Lance wailed that you were trapped, Shiro gave the order to form Voltron. The mighty defender came together and bashed in the door blocking your way, enabling the team to enter the Galra base.

“Take down the factory machines!” Shiro barked. Pidge and Lance did as ordered, utilising their Lions’ mouth cannons to decimate the factory assembly lines.

The lava continued to flow into the base, and Voltron escaped just as the base exploded in a fiery blaze below.

**************************************

The team had assembled in the Castle’s lounge, pleased at the outcome of the latest mission.

“Man, going on missions is a lot easier when someone gives you all the information beforehand,” Hunk gloated.

Lance grinned. “And yet you _still_ managed to run your Lion into a wall.”

“Yeah, information is one thing. Ability is something completely different,” Hunk replied huffily.

“There’s no doubt about it, we haven’t encountered a single problem,” Shiro said, his face marred by a small frown.

Allura seemed more satisfied. “I must admit, we took down a vital target today.”

“And we made it seem pretty easy,” Pidge added. “Except for the getting buried in lava part.”

Shiro crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked at everyone in turn. “It may be time to consider taking the next step.”

Now it was your turn to frown. “I’m still not comfortable with this. It just doesn’t feel right.”

Allura shared your concern, but despite your objections, Shiro got his way. He and the princess headed to the containtment unit which held Prince Lotor, in the hopes that he would finally give them the information he had been promising since his capture – information which could help to end the war with the Galra Empire.

**************************************

You and Lance entered the bridge, where Allura was reviewing several screens at once.

“Princess, the meeting’s about to start,” you told her.

“I’m almost ready,” she replied, her eyes still fixed on the screens before her. “If I’m expected to lead this, I need to know what I’m talking about.”

“Yeah, but no one expects you to memorise everything,” Lance said. “We can have a script screen for you, or you could just jot some notes down on the inside of your hand. I mean, I do it all the time.”

Allura gave him a look that expressed her disapproval of his suggestions.

Pidge’s face popped up on the vid-screen. “Princess, everybody’s ready.”

With a nod, she left the bridge and headed towards the command centre, with you and Lance following close behind.

**************************************

Allura addressed the representatives of the Voltron Alliance via vid-screen, as she stood in front of the constellation map. “As of today, our rebel forces have taken control of one-third of the former Galra Empire. But we cannot grow complacent. The Galra Empire is still the dominant force in the universe. However, the tide _is_ changing.”  
  
“The Rebel Coalition is winning because of _you_ , Princess Allura,” one of the representatives remarked. “You and Voltron. Mere cycles ago I feared that my race would breathe its last in Galra chains. But then Voltron appeared on the horizon, and our lives changed forever.”

“This bid for liberty is only possible because of all of our sacrifices,” Allura replied seriously. “And we still have a long way to go before the entire universe is free.”

“We’ll be behind you every step of the way,” the other representatives assured her.

“Thank you. We will reconvene soon. Until then.” Allura ended the transmission with the Coalition representatives, before reconnecting with Kolivan. Keith stood beside him, and you tried to ignore him. You still had nightmares about his attempted sacrifice to save Voltron recently, and as a result you were more surly and short-tempered than usual.

“Did you complete your raids on the targets we sent you in our last communication?” Shiro asked Kolivan.

The Blade of Marmora leader nodded. “Yes. The information we received from Lotor has consistently checked out.”

“With all these successful missions taking place within such a short period of time, it won’t be long before the Galra realises that we’re using inside information,” Pidge fretted.

“That’s true,” Kolivan agreed. “We should expect the enemy to change protocol soon.”

“Then we need to act fast and hit as many targets as possible,” Lance said authoritatively. He had stepped up since Keith’s departure, taking his role as the Black Lion’s right hand man more seriously and becoming more responsible. You were proud of him.

“We’ll talk to Lotor and see if there’s anything more he can give us,” Shiro decided.

Allura looked steadily at him. “I can’t stop thinking that we might be an unwitting part of a much larger ulterior motive.”

“I agree. Lotor is up to something. We just don’t know what yet,” you added. The Galra prince was too smooth for your liking, making the hairs on the back of your neck stand up whenever he was within eyesight. You didn’t trust him one little bit.

Shiro, however, didn’t seem to share your misgivings, and continued to liaise with Prince Lotor in order to bring down the Galra Empire.

**************************************

You stood with Pidge and Matt as they spoke with Nyma, the pretty alien that had helped to steal the Blue Lion so many months before. She and her partner Rolo had joined the Coalition, and despite your initial misgivings, you found yourself liking both of them immensely.

“Thank you for helping us get the fleet back in order,” Nyma said gratefully. “They were pretty banged up after the invasion.”

“No problem,” you waved away her thanks.

Matt grinned as he pointed towards one of the ships. “We upgraded the entire targeting system in this one. Pidge wrote a patch that will increase accuracy by a power of three.”

“Yeah, well, Matt overhauled the thrusters on this one,” Pidge said, indicating another ship with her thumb. “It can pull out of a six-gee dive and not lose thrust!”

“That’s Newton’s gravitational constant, of course,” Matt replied, as if he was stating the obvious.

“Duh. What would she think, nine point eight metres per second squared?” Pidge scoffed. The two of them laughed uproariously, while Nyma stared on in confusion.

“Don’t worry,” you whispered. “Half the time I don’t even pretend to understand what either of them are talking about.”

Sobering up again, Matt said, “But we saved our best work for last.”

Nyma’s little droid, Beezer, stood proudly behind them, sparkling clean and looking almost as if he’d just rolled off the factory production line.

Nyma gasped with delight. “He looks brand new! I can see myself in his chest plate!”

Rolo opened the hatch to their ship. “Pidge! You got a message incoming.”

All of you boarded the ship to hear the news. Shiro and Allura appeared on the vid-screen.

“Pidge.” Shiro sounded more serious than you had ever heard him.

“Is something wrong?” Pidge asked, her voice coloured with worry.

“We have a lead on Commander Holt,” Shiro told her. “Your father.”

“Our father?” she gasped.

“Lotor gave us information on his whereabouts.”

“Where is he?” Pidge demanded.

Allura replied, “Because your father was considered a valuable scientific asset, he was moved to a remote prison with others like him. They’re being forced to work for the Galra Empire.”

“According to Lotor, he’s still at the prison, but he could be transferred at any moment,” Shiro continued. “As soon as the teludav is repaired, we can all head over there.”

The Holt siblings looked at each other before reaching a silent agreement. Matt raced out towards the Green Lion as Pidge said, “Send us the coordinates.”

Without waiting for an answer, she turned and ran after her brother.

“Pidge! Matt! If you wait for us, we’ll be able to provide you with backup!” Allura called after her.

Rolo stood up. “Don’t worry. We’ll make sure they’ve got the backup they need.”

“Y/N, keep an eye them,” Shiro requested. “Make sure Pidge and Matt don’t do anything too reckless.”

You nodded. “Yes, Sir.”

“Bring them back safe, Y/N,” Allura said.

“I’ll do my best,” you promised.

**************************************

“What if something’s happened to him, Matt?” Pidge fretted. “What if…”

Her brother placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “We’re gonna bring Dad back. I promise.”

Pidge nodded, then flew the Green Lion towards the prison that Lotor had told the princess and Shiro about.

“This place is gonna have security,” Rolo reminded her. “We’re gonna go head first into that?”

“That’s why we’ve got cloaking,” Pidge replied, activating the Green Lion’s cloaking device as she spoke. Unfortunately, as she flew between the drones fortifying the prison, their sensors picked up the Lion’s presence despite Pidge’s cloaking. They started beeping an alarm even as they activated a particle barrier.

“That doesn’t sound good,” Rolo deadpanned.

“We’ve hit some sort of barrier,” Pidge said. “We’ve lost cloaking.”

Beezer started beeping frantically, and you noted with dismay that you had company. “Galra fighters on intercept course!”

The fighters began firing at the Green Lion, with Pidge returning fire with the Lion’s mouth cannon even as she ducked and weaved through the laser fire. “Change of plan! I’m gonna have to drop you off! Hold on!”

She sped up, racing towards the prison as fast as her Lion could take her. At her signal, the belly hatch opened and you and the others jumped out.

“Everybody, fire jet packs!” Matt shouted as you fell towards the prison. Everyone complied, even Beezer, who had thrusters built into his droid legs.

Well, everyone _tried_ to comply.

“Something’s wrong! My pack’s not working!” you shrieked, even as you frantically continued to press your wrist device.

“Y/N!” Matt yelled.

You screamed in terror as you plummeted towards the planet’s surface, when suddenly your descent was halted. You were jerked upwards, and found yourself being pulled by grappling hooks towards Beezer. You clung tightly to the little droid, eyes squeezed shut with fright, as it carried you safely to the ground.

“You know, you can let go of him now,” Nyma said gently.

You continued to cling to Beezer as you sobbed with relief. “I’d rather not.”

Matt gently untangled your arms from the little droid and helped you to stand, placing your arm around his shoulders and his arm around your waist to support you. Your legs buckled, and he continued to hold you upright for another minute or so, until with a shaky smile you reassured him that you could stand on your own two feet.

The four of you ran towards the entrance to the prison, your Bayard transformed into its staff form while the others brandished blasters. Peeking around the corner, you noted that the sentries had been disabled.

“No guards,” Rolo muttered, his voice tinged with suspicion.

“The security and defense systems in this prison are completely automated,” Matt said. “Override codes should shut everything down.”

“Looks like everything is already shut down,” you replied.

“What’s going on?” Matt sounded as confused as the rest of you felt. Something was terribly wrong.

**************************************

As you ran further inside the prison, there were more disabled sentries scattered throughout the corridors. You found yourselves standing on a balcony overlooking what looked like a laboratory of some sort. Prisoners tapped away on computers, seemingly oblivious to the world around them.

Rolo crawled on hands and knees to try to get a closer look, and found himself in front of a bewildered prisoner. Before Rolo could say anything, the prisoner opened his mouth to scream, but Nyma quickly grabbed him and placed her hand around his mouth to silence him.

The prisoners below heard the scuffle and looked up, startled.

“Everyone, relax,” Rolo said as he got to his feet. The prisoners instead cowered beneath their desks.

“Don’t hurt us,” one of the prisoners begged.

“No one’s here to hurt you,” you reassured them.

“You’re not with the scary lady?” the prisoner asked.

Rolo shook his head. “We’re here to rescue you.”

“Wait,” said Matt. “What scary lady?”

The prisoner said, “She told us to stay inside, and that if we went outside, we’d be hurt.”

“Well, no one is here now,” Nyma said quietly. “Come on, we’re leaving.”  
  
Matt scanned the area below. His face fell as he realised his father was not among them. “Wait, is this everyone?”

“No,” said the prisoner. “There are others back in the cells.”

Before you could stop him, Matt raced off in the direction that the prisoner had pointed. You followed, scurrying after him as fast as you could, while Nyma and Rolo ushered the remaining prisoners outside to wait for the Green Lion.

Running through the hallways, Matt called out. “Hello? Dad? Dad, are you here?”  
  
Other prisoners exited their cells as they heard him calling. Noting the lack of guards, they immediately made their escape.

“Has anyone seen Sam Holt?” Matt cried desperately as the prisoners raced towards freedom. “A human like me? Is there another human here?”

Matt checked cell after cell, each one coming up empty. As he reached the last cell, his expression grew even more heartbroken. It was apparent that, although Sam Holt might very well have been here previously, he most certainly was not here any longer.

“I’m sorry, Matt,” you said consolingly, placing a hand on his shoulder.

He shrugged you off and turned back down the hallway, heading for the exit. With a sigh, you followed him. Noting that Nyma was standing in the back of a transport ship, you and Matt ran towards it.

“Let’s go,” Matt said shortly.

Nyma looked at him. “But where’s…”  
  
He turned to her angrily. “Let’s go!”

You shook your head sadly, and Nyma’s sympathetic gaze turned away from Matt, knowing that he needed to be alone with his grief.

Rolo launched the transport once he realised everyone was safely aboard, and raced towards the atmosphere where Pidge would hopefully be waiting with the Green Lion. The ship began shaking violently, and the prisoners groaned with fright. The ship was not designed to carry as many passengers as were currently aboard, and its systems couldn’t cope with the additional weight.

“The thrusters are maxed out!” Rolo cried as the ship began losing power. “Pidge, we’re about as high as this overloaded escape pod will take us. We could sure use a pickup!”

“On my way!” the Green Paladin replied.

“Engines are failing!” Rolo reported as an alarm started blaring. The ship suddenly lost power, and as the engines cut out it began plummeting back towards the surface of the planet below.

“Hang on tight!” Pidge cried as she flew the Green Lion upside down, opening the belly hatch just in time to catch the stricken pod. Closing the hatch, she righted the Lion before pushing the thrusters to full speed in an attempt to outrun the Galra fighters which were still in pursuit.

As the Lion exited the planet’s atmosphere, she reactivated the cloaking device, thus evading the jets and flying the rescued prisoners towards safety and freedom.

Pidge turned excitedly to her brother. “Matt! Did you find him?”  
  
His shoulders slumped even further. “I’m sorry, Pidge.”  
  
“No!” she denied angrily, heading towards the back of the Lion where the prisoners were seated. “Dad! Dad, where are you?”  
  
Matt held his sister firmly. “He wasn’t there. He was already gone.”

Pidge collapsed to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably, while Matt held her close. Your heart broke to see your little friend so upset. But Matt’s conviction that their father was still alive sparked hope that they would find him soon, and be reunited at long last.

**************************************

Shiro and the others looked sadly at Pidge, sitting forlornly at her console while Matt tried to comfort her. You had told the others about their father being moved before you had arrived at the prison, and they were just as upset as the siblings at the news.

Suddenly, the vid-screen opened and you found yourselves staring into the face of Emperor Zarkon.  
  
“Paladins of Voltron,” he intoned. “I am making a one-time offer. I have someone of value to you.”  
  
He turned and you saw Lotor’s three former generals – Acxa, Ezor and Zethrid, you had learned they were called - standing behind him. But your focus was immediately drawn to the person they held in front of them.

“Dad!” Pidge cried.

Zarkon turned back to stare at all of you. “I will hand him over, and in exchange, you give me my son, Lotor.”

Pidge’s stricken face would likely haunt your dreams for months.


	2. Today On "Deal Or No Deal"...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Faced with a painful decision, the Paladins reach a reluctant agreement with Zarkon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basis for this chapter is Series 5, Episode 2 “Blood Duel”

“Bring me Lotor, and the prisoner is yours,” Zarkon said in a monotone. “Meet my demands if you want to see the Earthling alive.”

Sam Holt’s tired face looked into the eyes of his children before the transmission ended.

“He’s alive! Our dad is alive! We have to get him back!” Pidge demanded.

“We’re going to,” Matt told her determinedly. “What’s the plan, Shiro?”

He looked at both of them gravely. “We can’t rush into anything. We have to think this through.”

“What’s to think through?” Pidge yelled angrily. “It’s my dad! We’re doing this!”

“We need to operate under the assumption that Zarkon will try to double-cross us,” Shiro replied reasonably.

Pidge stamped her foot. “We have Voltron! We can do anything!”

“Pidge…” Matt said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She angrily shrugged him off. “No! We can’t let this opportunity slip away. We’re too close! Our father is too close!”

She ran off before anyone could say another word.

**************************************

All of you stood in front of the containment cell which housed Prince Lotor. As usual, his silky tones gave you goosebumps as he spoke.

“My father has held the universe in a death grip for millennia. But he sees it slipping from his grasp because of _your_ efforts, and because of mine. With our forces combined, we will provide the greatest threat Zarkon has ever faced. He knows we could topple his empire, so this is his attempt to tear us apart. But united, we could forge a new path, open doors to new worlds and crush the tyrannical ways of an old regime.”

“A regime _you_ ran!” Pidge retorted. “We can’t listen to him. He just wants to save his own skin.”

“It’s true,” Lotor agreed readily. “If you return me to my father, he would surely see to my demise. And with his most legitimate threat to the throne removed, he would only grow stronger.”  
  
Pidge continued to glare at the Galra prince. “One less threat to Zarkon, and one less threat to us.”

Lotor looked beseechingly at Princess Allura. “Your father, King Alfor, once stood side by side with Zarkon and protected the universe from harm. There was no foe the Paladins of old couldn’t defeat. Sadly, that time of peace has been lost. But together, we can find it once more. Princess, imagine. A new generation that could lift the mantle of peace. The children of King Alfor and Emperor Zarkon, you and I, a royal alliance between Altean and Galra.”  
  
You could see that Allura was being persuaded by Lotor’s words. Lance seemed horrified at the prospect of her giving in to his silver tongue. He scowled. “How about we _don’t_ imagine that?”

“Lies!” Pidge yelled. “Every word is a lie.”

“And what of Zarkon’s words?” Lotor asked her. “You think he’ll return your father as he says? You think the corrupted leader of a ruthless empire will be true to his word? He wants more than just me.”

You looked directly at the prince. “You think he’ll double-cross us.”

The prince gazed at you steadily. “I think he’d do anything to rid himself of me and reclaim the Lions of Voltron.”

Allura’s lovely face grew contemplative. “An alliance with the heir to the Galra throne _could_ end the war.”  
  
_“What!”_ Pidge shrieked with fury.

“It’s not ideal,” Allura said softly. “I don’t like trusting the Galra, but it could be our best option.”

“No!”

“Pidge.” Allura tried to make her see reason. “Think of the lives we could save. Think of the countless worlds we could free.”

Reluctantly, you found yourself agreeing with Allura. “Pidge, think about it. With Lotor’s assistance, we could potentially settle things much more diplomatically. Less violence, less brutality... We need to consider the bigger picture. We need to think about more than just ourselves.”

Pidge shook with rage. “Think of my _father!”_

“Yeah, I’m with Pidge. Let’s get this guy out of here, pronto.” Lance waved his hand dismissively in Lotor’s direction. You weren’t really surprised that he had sided with the Green Paladin. “Right, Hunk?”  
  
Hunk looked uncertain. “I dunno. I mean, if this dude is on our side like he says he is - you _are_ saying you are on our side, right? – then couldn’t he lead the Galra toward peace from the inside?”

“We are turning him in and getting my dad back!” Pidge yelled. “We have _Voltron_ to bring peace to the universe!”

“Don’t play into Zarkon’s hands!” Lotor begged.

“That’s enough!” yelled Shiro, who had remained quiet through the entire exchange.

That was when you knew that he had made his decision. Shiro – and in effect, you, Hunk and Allura - had just decided to make a deal with the devil.

**************************************

Shiro piloted the transport pod towards the coordinates that had been provided. Pidge sat nervously beside him, her anxiety rolling off her in waves. You and Matt sat in the back of the pod.

Although you weren’t family, you were very fond of Commander Holt, having known him for most of your life. Both Pidge and Matt had gratefully accepted your offer to accompany them to the exchange that had been requested by Emperor Zarkon. Shiro had also agreed, thankful for another Paladin to provide support if anything should go amiss.

Shiro landed, and all of you exited the pod. Matt looked around doubtfully, noting the lack of any other presence nearby. “Are you sure this is the place?”  
  
Shiro gave a curt nod. “This is the place.”

“So where’s Zarkon?” Pidge asked.

You stared into the empty, desolate landscape, searching for any indication that Zarkon was near. Suddenly, Pidge pointed skyward. “There!”

The Galra transport ship landed a short distance away. The hatch opened and you found yourselves staring at the Galra Emperor. “Show me Lotor!”

“Show us Commander Holt first!” Shiro countered.

Acxa and Ezor held Commander Holt between them. Pidge started to run towards him, but Shiro grabbed her arm and held her back, ignoring her attempts to free herself from his grip.

“Now, where is Lotor?” demanded Zarkon.

At Shiro’s nod, you brought Lotor out of the pod, his hands cuffed in front of him. Shiro called to Zarkon, “Bring us Commander Holt!”

Zarkon gave the order and Commander Holt slowly descended from the ship, making his way towards freedom. Shiro nodded, and you pushed Lotor towards his father, a little more forcefully than was probably necessary.

“Stay alert,” Shiro whispered to you. “If Zarkon is going to try something, now would be the time.”

You nodded, focussing your gaze on the Galra Emperor and the generals who now apparently served him rather than his son.

Commander Holt continued to shuffle towards you, and as he passed Lotor you felt your hackles rise. Something was wrong, but before you could say anything Pidge managed to wriggle free of Shiro and started racing towards her father.  
  
“Pidge!” Shiro cried out, reaching for her, but she evaded his grasp.

Pidge called out to her father, and as she reached to embrace him, she ran straight through him.

It was a hologram.

Pidge screeched with rage as she realised that Zarkon had duped all of you. Lotor was yanked onto his father’s ship, and Zethrid shoved the real Commander Holt into view with a smirk.

“NO! No, we had a deal!” Pidge yelled, collapsing to her knees and banging her fists on the ground. “ _We had a deal!_ Give me my father!”

“If you want this Earthling returned alive, you will forfeit Voltron to me! Immediately!” demanded the Emperor.

“No!” Pidge cried as Matt held her back, preventing her from running onto Zarkon’s ship to retrieve her father herself. “No! We have to get Dad!”

“Shiro…” Matt began.

“Hold your positions until the time is right,” Shiro said calmly.

“Bring the Lions now!” Zarkon yelled.

Suddenly, Lotor struck Acxa – you couldn’t help but mentally give him a cheer for that – before lunging towards his father with an enormous whip-like blade. He struck the Emperor, sending him flying into the dirt.

All of you, Galra and Paladin alike, stared at the prince as he retracted his blade into what looked remarkably like the Black Bayard.

“So the time has come,” Zarkon said as he stood, staring at his son. “This ends today!”

Lotor shook the Bayard, and it transformed into a large sword. He ran towards his father, blade aloft. The Emperor charged towards his son, determined to strike him down. Blade met fist, a ball of pure energy emanating from both as they met.

While the Galra leaders were engaged, Shiro turned to the three of you. “We need to get Sam.”  
  
Without hesitation, Pidge activated her jetpacks and flew towards the Galra ship, determined to rescue her father for real this time. You, Shiro and Matt flew after her a split second later. You reached the ship just as the hatch closed, Sam calling for his daughter as the doors slammed shut. The four of you grabbed onto the side of the ship just as it started to launch.

“We can’t let the shuttle dock with the cruiser!” Pidge cried as she sliced through the hull with her Bayard.

Shiro punched a hole in the hull with his prosthetic arm. “We need backup. Lance! We could use a little help down here!”

“We’re already on our way!” the Blue Paladin told him.

Acxa and the other Galra turned with some surprise when the door to the cockpit was torn from its hinges. They found themselves staring at the four of you, your weapons drawn.

“Hey! Let my dad go!” Pidge yelled, slashing at them with her Bayard.

Shiro struck at Ezor with his prosthetic arm, while she flipped and dodged his attack as much as she could.

Matt held a staff similar to yours, and had proven time and again that he knew how to use it. Gone was the clumsy dork you’d known at the Garrison. He was now a seasoned fighter, and you were enormously impressed. He worked in tandem with his sister, slashing at Zethrid while she attempted to punch them both.

You ran towards Acxa, who was piloting the shuttle. She lifted the nose of the shuttle, and the cargo in the hold started sliding towards the back of the ship, as did Shiro and the others.

You hissed and jumped, grabbing hold of the back of the pilot’s chair. Acxa looked at you with surprise, and with a snarl of rage you punched her in the face, causing her to slump against the controls as she briefly lost consciousness.

The ship started to lose altitude, and as it fell towards the ground the gravity generator lost power, causing all of you to float within the ship. You pulled Acxa from her seat and attempted to gain control of the shuttle before it crashed into the ground.

Pidge pushed herself towards her father. “Hang on, Dad!”

She sliced through his restraints with her Bayard, and he smiled gratefully at her. “Thanks, Katie.”

Just as you were about to pull up, Acxa regained consciousness and lunged at you, causing you to lose your grip on the controls and float through the ship. Pidge then tried to gain control, before the Galra general crashed into her, dragging you as well. Commander Holt was also unsuccessful in his attempt to control the ship. Matt and Shiro were unable to assist, still being occupied with Zethrid and Ezor.

Lance’s voice suddenly sounded in the helmet comms. “Shiro! Y/N! Pidge! The sky has been cleared of all Galra! What’s your status?”

“Shuttle is not clear yet!” you shrieked, once again fighting with the controls in an attempt to halt the shuttle’s freefall. “Hang on!”

The others managed to subdue the three Galra, and as you finally started to steady the ship, Pidge hit the button for the airlock, sucking the unlucky soldiers out. Fortunately, the others had managed to find secure surfaces to cling to, so they avoided the same fate.

Once the ship was stable, Pidge threw her arms around her father, crying with happiness. “I missed you so much.”

“I missed you, too, Katie,” he replied, cradling his daughter in his arms for the first time in over a year. Matt joined them, and your heart swelled with joy at their long-awaited reunion.

Shiro smiled softly, also happy at the safe return of his friend. “The shuttle is secure,” he told Lance.

“Nice job, team!” Lance congratulated you as the Red, Blue and Yellow Lions provided an escort back to the Altean transport pod.

“Where are Lotor and Zarkon?” Shiro asked, suddenly remembering the fight between the Galra Emperor and his son.

**************************************

Spotting the Emperor about to obliterate his son, Lance fired Red’s tail cannon. The Emperor looked up in surprise just as the Blue Lion fired, followed by the Yellow Lion in quick succession.

To everyone’s horror, the Emperor still stood. He aimed towards the shuttle, preparing to fire the cannon that he had summoned with the Black Bayard, which he had wrested from his son.

Just as he was about to fire, Lotor leapt at his father, impaling him with a large metal pole. The Emperor fell to his knees, loosening his grip on his weapon as he took his final breath.

The heir to the Imperial throne looked up at all of you, his face filled with grim satisfaction as he realised that he had rid the universe of his tyrranical father once and for all.


	3. Begrudgingly Saving The World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the Paladins argue over whether to listen to Lotor’s plans or to devise another strategy, an attack forces them to save some old friends, as well as themselves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter based on Series 5 Episode 3 “Postmortem”

The doors to the Castle bridge opened, and Prince Lotor got to his feet. Allura looked embarrassed, even slightly guilty, as she hurriedly stepped away from the Galra prince.

The princess had been spending an awful lot of her spare time with the Galra heir to the Empire since he had defeated his father, and Lance’s jealousy had grown exponentially since then. His blatant mistrust of the prince was mostly due to his envy of the growing closeness between Lotor and Allura, although it was also based on his instincts, which screamed at him that the man could not be trusted.

You didn’t trust Lotor, either.

Lance scowled as the Paladins entered the bridge with Coran. “Look, it’s Prince Lotor, just hanging out on the bridge.”

“Guess this is a thing that’s happening now,” Pidge deadpanned.

Coran muttered something about having to get used to Lotor having free reign of the Castle, which only caused Lance’s scowl to deepen.

“What’s going on, Lotor?” Shiro asked as he strode towards the Galra prince.

“The death of my father has created a power vacuum within the Galra Empire,” the prince told him. “The most formidable Galra leaders will gather for what is called the Kral Zera sometime in the next two days to decide who will take the throne. We _must_ be there.

“So _you_ want _us_ to fly you into the middle of a meeting with all of the most powerful Galra leaders?” Lance asked incredulously.

Allura looked sadly at the prince. “Lotor, we appreciate all that you’ve sacrificed. But this sounds far too dangerous.”

“We’ve been in much more dangerous situations with much less to gain.” Everyone stared at Shiro in shock. He continued, “Putting Lotor on the Galra throne _is_ what we’ve been discussing.”

“Yeah, but no one told us that would mean flying into a war zone,” you argued.

Allura frowned. “We can’t plan an operation this important so quickly.”

“We don’t have a choice,” Shiro argued.

“I’m with Allura,” Lance said. “We need time to think this over.”

Shiro looked at the Blue Paladin dismissively. “Lance, this is not your call.”

Lance’s eyes widened in shock, before his face fell at Shiro’s dismissal of his opinion. Your heart clenched in sympathy for your friend. He always fought so hard for Shiro’s approval, and yet he so often seemed to fall short.

“Allura, the Coalition would not be where it is now without Lotor,” Shiro told her in a reasonable tone. “We need to listen to him.”

“Well, I’m with Allura, too,” Pidge declared decisively. “This is too dangerous to pull off at the last minute.”

“Same,” you added. “We need time to implement a solid plan, rather than rushing headlong into something without thinking through the logistics of it first. I’m pretty sure even Keith would agree with us in this instance.”

“Agreed, so it looks like it’s five to two in the Princess’s favour,” Coran announced.

“Look, this isn’t a vote,” Shiro said. “ _I’m_ the leader of Voltron; I’m making this decision.”  
  
Allura stepped forward, her eyes narrowed with displeasure. “Like when you armed Lotor with your Bayard without consulting the rest of us?”

He nodded. “That’s right. Making that decision resulted in the removal of Zarkon.”

“You put the entire operation in jeopardy!” Allura cried.

Shiro’s fists were clenched. “I put an end to Zarkon’s reign! Now is the time to finish the job!”

Lance stepped forward. “Shiro, we’re all on the same side here.”

“I told you to stay out of this!” Shiro snarled, causing Lance to flinch. Shiro had never spoken that sharply to any of you before, and everyone looked at him in bewilderment. This was not the Shiro you all knew. It was almost as if he was a different person.

“While you all waste time squabbling, sinister forces are conspiring to fill the Galra power void,” Lotor reminded you. “If I do not return to claim the throne, there is no telling who will.”

“Good,” Shiro nodded. “Then it’s settled.”

“How does that make it settled?” you questioned, your tone incredulous.

“Our hands are tied. The Kral Zera is happening,” Shiro answered. “If we want to stop the Galra, we need to put Lotor on the throne immediately.”

It seemed that despite the misgivings of most of the team, the Black Paladin had made up his mind to follow Prince Lotor.

You just hoped it wouldn’t lead to disaster.

**************************************

“Ryner, hailing Castle of Lions!” The Olkari leader was frantic as her face lit up the vid-screen.

“Ryner, what was that?” Coran asked.

“A meteor-like object struck the forest outside the city,” she replied. “We’re detecting high levels of an unknown toxin emanating from the impact site.”

Shiro’s face was set. “I’ll check it out.

**************************************

You were with Lance on the training deck as he took out his frustrations on the training drones. Ever since Shiro had yelled at him, the Blue Paladin had been feeling unworthy of his position as the right-hand of Voltron, and so you had suggested that he work off the aggravation against the Castle’s fight simulator.

He fired shot after shot at the drones as they circled around him, but each time the shot went wide. When he missed yet again, he transformed his blaster into his sniper rifle. He was more accurate with that weapon, yet still continued to miss more shots than he made. He was shot by another drone, and gritted his teeth as he summoned his shield to defend himself.

“Concentrate, Lance! You can take out these drones with your eyes shut!” you called out, trying to encourage your friend to believe in himself as much as you did.

As the drones circled ever closer, Lance closed his eyes and transformed his Bayard yet again, swinging at the closest drone. It fell to his feet, sliced neatly in half. Without hesitation, Lance turned in a circle as he swung at the remaining drones, which all fell lifeless to the floor.

He blinked curiously at the weapon he now held in his hand. “Woah.”

“Has it ever changed to that form for you before?” you asked as you noted the sword he was holding.

“No.” He frowned. “Do you think it changed because Keith uses a sword? Is it because I’m using the Red Bayard?”

“This isn’t the same type of sword that Keith uses,” you told him, wondering yourself why the Bayard had summoned this particular form.

“I haven’t seen that for ten thousand years,” a new voice said.

Lance turned, blushing as he stammered, “A-Allura!”

The princess walked towards him with a smile on her face. “It’s an Altean broadsword. My father used one just like it.”

“I have no idea how I did this.” Lance’s face was filled with confusion.

“I think your Bayard has shown you what we’ve all been noticing,” Allura said softly. “You have greatness within.”

Lance huffed. “I don’t think Shiro has noticed.”

You patted his shoulder consolingly. “I’m sure he has. He’s just got a lot on his mind right now.”

Allura’s face fell. “Shiro _has_ been quite difficult lately. I’m not sure what to do. We seem to constantly be at odds.”

“You guys are under a lot of pressure,” Lance told her seriously. “Having Lotor around doesn’t help.”

“Sometimes it feels like it was easier to fight the Galra rather than to try to work with them.” Allura’s shoulders slumped.

“You both have the Coalition’s best interests at heart. Don’t forget that.” Lance looked at Allura. “Shiro isn’t your enemy.”

The princess blinked, then gave a small smile. “You’re right. I need to stay focussed on the big picture. Thank you, Lance. Speaking with you has actually made me feel better.”

He smiled, before looking at her suspiciously. “What do you mean, _actually?”_

You and Allura giggled, and after half a second Lance joined in your laughter. His laughter stopped abruptly when Allura placed one hand on his shoulder and another on his wrist, stepping closer to him as she did so. “Oh, and Lance, if you’re going to try to control a sword this powerful…”

He blushed profusely at the close proximity of the princess, before yelping as Allura kicked his feet out from under him, sending him sprawling on his back as she held his broadsword in one hand. “… you’re going to need to work on your stance.”

She handed him back his Bayard, now in its normal form, and walked away nonchalantly.

You helped your friend to his feet, and smothered a grin as he turned his lovestruck gaze towards the retreating back of the lovely Altean.

**************************************

It appeared that the meteor which had struck Olkarion had infected the forest. The lush greenery, which had for deca-phoebs provided the Olkari with nature-based weaponry, was now turning that very same technology upon the people of the planet. Angry purple-tinged vines covered the city, threatening to strangle every available surface.

All five Lions were firing their mouth cannons at the plant-based tanks which appeared to be firing blasts similar to an ion cannon.

“Ryner, what are we looking at here?” Pidge asked, her voice slightly hysterical.

“I don’t understand,” Ryner’s puzzled voice replied. “That monster resembles one of our tree-mechs. It’s as if the forest is being corrupted.”

“It must have something to do with whatever that is emanating from the impact site,” Shiro surmised.

Pidge studied the scans on her vid-screen. “It appears to be some sort of invasive plasma. Coran, have my dad and brother analyse the data I’m sending.”

“On it,” the Altean advisor confirmed.

As the tree-mechs commenced firing upon the Lions again, Shiro gave the order to form Voltron.

“Shield up!” Shiro ordered as Voltron flew towards the tree-mechs, dodging the plasma balls being fired at it. Voltron smashed into one of the mechs with the shield, pushing it backward almost fifty feet. “Let’s finish it!”

Without warning, the tree-mech lashed out at Voltron with a number of thrashing vines, tangling the arms and legs of the robot in the twisting appendages.

“I can’t move my leg!” Hunk wailed. “I mean, my Voltron leg.”

“Neither can I!” groaned Allura. “These vines are restricting our movements!”

“Pidge, can you get free?”

“Negative! They’re everywhere!” the Green Paladin cried as the Green Lion was likewise entangled in the vines.

“Red’s stuck too!” Lance advised.

“Separate into Lions!” you suggested.

“We can’t,” Shiro moaned. “We’re seized up. Trapped!”

The vines completely encased Voltron, trapping it within a tangled dome of malignant vegetation. You felt Voltron rising from the ground, its plant prison lifting it up.

“Wait, what’s that sound?” Hunk asked as a creaking noise was heard.

“It sounds like it’s moving the other way,” Shiro said after a few seconds, as he realised that the tree-mech was now moving towards the city. “And I think I know why! Ryner, is that ion cannon of yours operational?”

“No, it’s still not finished,” the Olkari responded. “At best it could manage perhaps one shot.”

“Well, make it count, because that thing’s headed right for you!” Shiro told her.

Ryner did as instructed, but just as the ion cannon reached the point where it could fire upon the corrupted tree-mech, power to the system was lost as the vines engulfed the city.

“The ion cannon, all of our systems, they’ve been compromised!” Ryner cried in frustration.

**************************************

Pidge contacted her family, still on the Castle bridge with Coran. “Matt! Dad! These vines!”

“They’re like a computer virus!” Matt said in astonishment. “From the data you sent, it appears the plasma substance is self-replicating organic wetware, which creates a single expanding system, giving it the ability to interface with nature the way the Olkari do.”

“It’s like a computer and a virus rolled into one!” Pidge gasped.

Suddenly, contact with the Castle was lost, and all of you hoped that Matt and Sam could find a way to stop the virus from spreading further.

**************************************

“What are we gonna do?” Hunk asked for the tenth time. “I can’t move!”

“Listen, this virus is affecting Voltron on a sub-molecular level!” Pidge advised. “To drive it out, we have to tap into the quantum energy that bonds us all to Voltron.”

“The Bayards!” Allura cried. “They amplify each Paladin’s life force. They might provide enough power to drive out the virus!”

Lance shrugged, even though you were the only one that could see him do so. “It’s worth a shot.”

Every Paladin grabbed their Bayard, prepared to activate them on Lance’s signal. “Three, two, one!”

As one, you all punched your Bayards into the consoles, turning them simultaneously.

**************************************

A bright flash of white had surrounded you as soon as you’d activated your Bayards, and you opened your eyes to suddenly find yourself on the astral plane. You saw the other Paladins standing before you. All except…

“Shiro!” you yelled in desperation. “Shiro!”

The others joined your calls, hoping to bring your leader safely from wherever he was. After what seemed an eternity, he appeared before you, although he seemed less solid than the others.

As the others were summoned back to their Lions, you heard Shiro calling to you faintly.

“Y/N! Y/N, listen to me...”

“What?” you cried, trying to hear what he was saying to you, before you too were whisked back to reality.

**************************************

Once every Paladin had been returned to their Lions, Voltron managed to break free from the vine casing, which was being hauled towards a Galra warship. It then broke free of the tractor beam and began its own attack.

You shook your head groggily, the cries of the other Paladins rousing you as you returned to consciousness just in time to hear Shiro give the order to attack the Galra cruiser.

“Guys, we’ve got incoming!” Pidge yelled, startling you into full alertness.

Voltron moved out of the way in the nick of time. An enormous burst of laser fire hit the Galra warship, obliterating it. It appeared that Ryner had somehow repaired the Olkari ion cannon.

“Now, Voltron! You must stop that beast!” Ryner’s call reminded you that one of the rogue tree-mechs was still making its way towards the city.

Shiro grunted. “Let’s finish this fight.”

Voltron arrived just as the mech fired its cannon, blocking the shot with its shield and saving the ion cannon. The robot then pushed the beast to the edge of the city, before the beast defended itself by wrapping vines around the Lions once more.

“Pidge, what’s it doing?” Shiro asked through gritted teeth.

“The virus, it’s trying to absorb Voltron!”

Hunk wailed, “I can’t see anything!”

“Are any of the Lions free?” Shiro queried.

The only Lion not completely entangled was Red, and with a cry, Lance pushed Red forward, firing her mouth cannon directly into the cannon of the mech-beast. The beast exploded, leaving nothing but a crater as evidence that it had ever existed.

**************************************

Every Paladin sat atop Voltron, watching the Olkari cleanup droids as they removed the corrupted forestry from their city. The waves of the ocean lapped at the shore, the sound soothing everyone’s frayed nerves.

Sam Holt had made the decision to return to Earth so that he could appraise the Galaxy Garrison of what was happening in the wider universe. He hoped that he could make them understand the enormity of what they would soon be facing, and that they would take the threat from the Galra seriously. He’d also accepted his children’s decision to stay where they were needed – Matt providing aid to the rebels, and Pidge continuing to fulfil her Paladin duties.

You stood next to Shiro. “What were you trying to tell me in the void earlier?” you asked softly so the others couldn’t hear.

He turned to look at you with surprise. “What do you mean?”

“You were shouting something at me, but I couldn’t hear what you were saying.”

“I don’t know. Things went dark there for a second.” Your leader sighed, then walked over to Lance with a smile. “Good work today, Lance. I’m sorry I yelled at you earlier.”

Lance’s face lit up at Shiro’s apology, before turning sober again almost instantly. He stared at Shiro as the older man turned away, his friendly face contorted with worry. Lance looked at you, and you returned his look with a concerned one of your own.

Something was very wrong with Shiro, and you needed to figure out what. Before it got worse.


	4. I Love the Smell of Betrayal in the Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro acts against the wishes of the other Paladins, while the most powerful Galra from around the Empire gather for the ceremony to crown their new leader.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter based on Series 5, Episode 4: “Kral Zera”

Keith and two other Blade operatives were watching the progress of the Galra warships heading towards the landing platform. Finally, Ilun spoke. “That’s our target. As soon as it docks, we go.”

Once the ship was docked, the three of them boarded stealthily. The hatch opened, and they stood staring at the crates which were waiting to be loaded. Ilun spoke once more. “Are you sure this is going to work?”

“Trust me,” Keith replied.

Once the crates had been loaded onto the ship, the three sliced through the sides with their ceremonial blades and climbed free.

“Good tip, Earthling,” Ilun congratulated Keith.

A blaster cocked behind them, and they turned to find themselves faced with a Galra sentry. They crouched into a fighting stance before he lowered his blaster. “Follow me.”

The sentry led them into the ship and to another hatch. Halting, he said to them, “This shaft will take you directly above the bridge.”  
  
“Thank you, brother,” Ilun said.

A voice was heard on the other side of the door. “The Archivist is taking too long to start the ceremony.”

“The Archivist?” Keith’s voice was puzzled.

“Hurry,” the sentry urged. Without hesitation, Vrek leapt into the shaft, followed swiftly by Ilun and Keith.

The voice spoke again. “If he waits much longer, the Empire will descend into chaos.”

The door opened, and the owner of the voice entered the room where the sentry now stood alone. “Make ready for takeoff!”

Keith quietly lowered the hatch, and followed the other Blades to their intended destination.

**************************************

“I’m telling you, Branko’s wanton attack was only the beginning,” Lotor said forcefully. “Without an Emperor, more and more high ranking officials are going to start lashing out and consolidating their power at the Kral Zera.”

Hunk raised his hand. “Uh, just gonna jump in here. What exactly _is_ the Kral Zera? Is there food there? Sounds awful fancy.”

He ignored the unimpressed expressions of yourself, Lance and Allura as the Yellow Paladin once again focussed on the possible culinary experiences he might encounter on a mission.

“It’s the coronation ceremony for a new Emperor or Empress,” Lotor explained. “It is held on one of the first planets we… the _Galra_ conquered. Planet Feyiv, a sacred land.”

Shiro gave a brief nod. “Okay, so who all will be at this Kral Zera?”

“Allow me to show you.” Lotor suddenly seemed to remember his manners. “May I, Princess?”

Allura nodded. “Go ahead.”

Lotor brought up an image of a Galra general on the vid-screen. “Warlord Ranveig is one of the fiercest Galra in the Empire. That’s why my father sent him to the fringes of the universe. He will already have several factions pledging their allegiance.”

Lance crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Warlord, huh? I’m guessing you don’t get that title by being nice.”

Another image, this time a female, came up. “Commander Naav is one of Zarkon’s most trusted advisors. She will be unifying Zarkon’s inner circle of commanders. They know what they will be getting with her.” Lotor scowled. “She’s not as reckless as Warlord Ranveig, but she’s just as cruel.”

He brought up another possible contender, this time a short, squat Galra. “Quartermaster Junker. He is responsible for overseeing supply routes throughout the Empire. Don’t let his stature fool you. His power is bureaucracy, and he should not be underestimated.”

“He keeps popping up in my database,” Pidge interjected. “His supply chain management is incredible. He definitely colour codes.”

You couldn’t help the giggle that escaped you at Pidge’s comment. She was always impressed by organisation and efficiency, no matter who was responsible.

“So, organised evil?” Hunk ventured. “Okay.”

Lotor spoke once more. “And finally, Zarkon’s witch, Haggar.”

You shuddered as he brought up the image of the Emperor’s witch, who Allura had proclaimed was an Altean. How had one of Allura’s people become an evil ally of the Emperor?

“We’ve met,” Shiro said grimly.

“She’s the most dangerous of them all,” Lotor told you. “Because she’s not Galra, and therefore not eligible to rule, she probably has a puppet already. Someone she can control and manipulate. If the Galra were smart, they’d be working together against her. If Haggar’s puppet takes over then stopping Zarkon’s reign will all have been for naught.”

“Then we can’t risk any of them assuming control.” Shiro turned to Allura. “We should help Lotor take command of the Galra Empire.”

“Shiro, we’ve already discussed this,” Allura replied with some asperity. “It’s far too risky.”

“Yeah. Why don’t we let them fight amongst themselves for a while before we do anything?” Lance suggested, a tad facetiously you thought.

“You know what we just went through on Olkarion, and that was just one rogue commander vying for the throne,” Shiro reminded everyone. “When the Galra lash out, everyone in the universe suffers.”

“How would we even get Lotor there without stirring up a huge fight?” you asked with exasperation.

The Prince looked at you with a smirk. “I’ll be bringing Voltron.”

You blinked several times before you narrowed your eyes. “I’m sorry, you’ll be doing what?”

“Yeah, because Voltron _never_ gets in fights,” Hunk added sarcastically.

Allura looked at the Black Paladin. “Shiro, we can’t allow that to happen.”

Shiro looked down sadly, before saying softly, “I’m sorry to hear that.”

Without another word, he stalked off the bridge, leaving the rest of you staring after him.

“Uh, what’s up with Shiro?” asked Hunk, who appeared to have only just now realised that Shiro was not acting like his usual self.

Nobody could answer his query.

**************************************

Keith and the others were listening to Warlord Ranveig as he barked orders to the crew. “The Archivist has made the summons. Set a course for Planet Feyiv. It is time for me to burn with the glory of the Kral Zera, and take my place on the Galra throne.”

Keith turned to Ilun and Vrek in confusion. “Kral Zera? Planet Feyiv? What’s going on?”

Ilun turned to him. “This is our time to strike. We will bring the Galra Empire down."

**************************************

The drop zone came within sight as the ship flew over a large courtyard. A crowd of Galra gathered around a large flame burning in the middle.

“Alright, when we get down there, set one explosive on each load-bearing beam,” Ilun instructed.

The three of them scurried through the hallways, careful to remain unseen. As they ran, they paused only long enough to place explosives at strategic points before continuing through the maze of hallways.

The explosives beeped, counting down to the moment they would hopefully bring an end to the Galra Empire for good.

**************************************

Nobody had seen Shiro since he stormed off the bridge. Pidge contacted Allura to see if the princess could locate his whereabouts.

Allura scanned the Castle, only to gasp in dismay when she noticed that the Black Lion’s hangar was empty. “He isn’t on the ship. His Lion’s gone too! Where’s Lotor?”

All your searching was in vain. The Galra prince also appeared to have left the ship.

Which meant that Prince Lotor and Shiro were headed to the Kral Zera, together, in the Black Lion.

**************************************

A loud roar sounded overhead just as Sendak was about to finish ascending the steps to light the ceremonial flame which would pronounce him Emperor.

Keith ran outside and looked up just as the Black Lion landed in the courtyard, the wind swirling around it as it landed and extinguishing Sendak’s torch.

“Shiro!” he gasped. “Ilun! Vrek! We have to stop. Shiro’s out there!”

“It’s too late,” Ilun told him. “My bombs are armed and the timer is set. The operation is a go.”

**************************************

The gathered Galra stared in amazement as the Black Lion’s hatch opened, and Prince Lotor descended. “Halt! Your true Emperor has arrived!”

“ _You_ , lead the Galra Empire?” Sendak sneered. “What could possibly make you think that _you_ could be our Emperor?”

“My father’s blood is not just in my veins,” Lotor replied calmly. “It’s also on my sword. The Emperor fell to _me,_ and so will anyone that stands in my way. ”

“You think treachery makes you qualified to lead us?” Sendak growled.

Lotor strode toward the staircase. “ _I_ will light the flame. Not for defeating my father, and not even for being the strongest Galra here. But because I did something no one else could do. _I_ returned the Black Lion to the Galra. Stand aside, Sendak!”

**************************************

Keith’s jaw dropped. He reached out to the one person whom he had lacked the courage to contact in weeks. _‘Y/N, are you there? You and the others need to get here now!’_

To his surprise, you answered him straight away, although he was less surprised that your thought was slightly hostile. Obviously you were still upset at his recent willingness to commit suicide in order to save you from being blown to smithereens on Naxzela. _‘This really isn’t a good time, Keith. We’ve got a bit of a problem here.’_

_'Well, I’m looking at an even bigger one. Somehow Lotor has managed to get hold of the Black Lion. He’s brought it to the Kral Zera!’_

You swore, and he winced. You were usually fairly well-mannered, but whenever you were under severe strain you tended to develop the vocabulary of a sailor. Obviously this was one of those times. _‘So that’s where Shiro is! He’s sided with Lotor. For some reason, he decided it would be a good idea to let Lotor use Voltron to help him gain control of the throne, but the rest of us disagreed, so he flew off without us! You have to stop him, Keith.’_

_‘I’ll do my best, but it’s not going to be easy. Sendak and most of the Galra’s top officers are here.’_

More swearing. Keith briefly wondered who had introduced you to such language. You knew curses he hadn’t ever heard before, and he was more than a little impressed. _‘Sendak! So that’s who the witch wants to install as Emperor!’_

You assured Keith that you would gather the remaining Paladins and head to the Kral Zera as a matter of urgency, and ended the conversation.

Keith kept an ear on what was happening above, even as he tried to defuse the bombs that were due to detonate in only a few moments. It didn’t matter that Shiro had betrayed everyone by aligning himself with Lotor. Keith needed to save him, no matter what.

**************************************

Just as Sendak and Lotor were about to duel each other, Haggar raised her voice. “Enough! Lotor, you cannot lead the Galra.”

The prince scowled. “You think you can stop me, witch?”

“The blood that so bolsters your claim is also what quells it! You are not full Galra. You are a half-breed. Your mother was Honerva.”  
  
“Everyone here knows my lineage,” Lotor retorted. “But that will not keep me from the throne.”

Heading towards the staircase, Lotor raised his sword and pointed it at Sendak. “I’m taking what’s rightfully mine. I am lighting that flame, and my first act as Emperor will be to reunite you with my late father!”

He rushed at Sendak, his sword raised to strike. Sendak flew at him, refusing to allow him to ascend to the top of the steps. They were locked in a fierce battle, both determined to succeed.

**************************************

Ilun and Vrek came running towards Keith as he was defusing another bomb. “What are you doing? We have to go!”

“No! Shiro and Lotor are up there!” Keith continued to disarm the bombs.

“Then you’ll die with them.” Ilun and Vrek ran back towards their ship.

Keith looked with despair at the remaining bombs. “There’s too many! There’s not enough time!” 

He ran out of the temple just before the explosion.

**************************************

An explosion from within the temple blasted Lotor and Sendak down the steps towards the courtyard. The temple collapsed, and Sendak fought his way out of the rubble.

“Lotor has betrayed us to Voltron! Fire on the Black Lion!” Sendak ordered.

Several cannon blasts rained down, narrowly missing the Black Lion. Shiro flew the Lion away from the ceremony in an attempt to draw the warships’ fire away from the temple. The ceremony itself descended into chaos, with Galra fighting each other in an attempt to gain the upper hand and so hopefully earn the right to light the flame.

Keith ran up to Lotor just as the prince spoke. “This is exactly what I was trying to avoid. I knew they would all turn on one another.”

They heard a yell, and turned in time to see Sendak leaping towards Lotor once again. Keith ran to aid the prince, only to be attacked by another Galra. He was flung backwards, losing his grip on his sword as he fell. As the Galra was about to strike him, she was shot by Acxa, who stood at the base of the staircase. Keith then leapt at the Galra, kicking her in the face and causing her to fall unconscious to the ground.

Keith moved to thank Acxa, but she turned without a word and headed back to Haggar. Keith scowled. Once again, just when it seemed that he could trust Acxa, he discovered that she was really working for the enemy.

**************************************

“There’s too many,” Shiro gasped as he continued to evade the shots from the Galra fleet. “I can’t handle them all myself.”

At that moment, a wormhole opened and the other Lions appeared.

“Looks like you could use some help!” Lance whooped, pushing Red to full thrust and firing upon the fleet with what you thought seemed remarkably like glee.

The Yellow Lion sliced through a Galra ship just as Hunk shouted, “We got your back, Shiro!”

“Okay, team. Let’s form Voltron!” Shiro commanded.

The Lions converged, and Voltron proceeded to eliminate the Galra fleet. It allowed Sendak’s attention to be diverted long enough for Lotor to ascend the staircase and light the ceremonial flame.

The Archivist fell to his knees reverently. “The flame is lit. Bow to your Emperor.”

Lotor stood still, looking out implacably as one by one the Galra fell to their knees in supplication. Voltron looked on steadily, as every Paladin hoped desperately that you had helped to make the right choice.


	5. Mama Just Killed A Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith is sent to find a fellow member of the Blade of Marmora who may be able to help him locate a powerful weapon. While Allura and Lotor work together to unlock Honerva’s secrets, you and the other Paladins get up to mischief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place during Series 5, Episode 5 “Bloodlines”

The team stood in the hangar of the Castle, where Commander Holt was preparing to board the Altean transport pod that would take him home to Earth.

“We’re going to miss you up here, Sir,” Shiro told him.

Commander Holt gestured dismissively. “Oh, you guys seem to be fine without me. Your mission is here. Mine is on Earth, and as soon as I get back, I’ll inform the Galaxy Garrison of what’s going on, and start working towards upgrading our planetary defences.”

“Tell Iverson the next time I see him, I’m going to kick his butt for strapping me to that table,” Shiro said with a grin.

“I’ll be sure to tell him that,” Commander Holt chuckled.

Hunk sidled up to him almost shyly, a data device in his hands. “Hey, I had everyone record some messages for our families. A little heads up, I got teary in mine, so… that’s for Mom’s eyes only.”

“Of course,” smiled Commander Holt as he tucked the device safely into his knapsack.

“Oh, and you don’t want to see Lance’s either, since it’s probably just a lurve message to Jenny Sheabom. Or the other Jenny… what was her name again?”

“Shut up, Hunk!” Lance growled, flushing with embarrassment. He turned even redder as you chortled at his expense. Lance’s love life at the Garrison had always provided you with a source of amusement. However, you stopped laughing once you realised that your best friend was actually quite upset.

Hunk held up his hands apologetically. “Jeez, I was just joking around. Hey, are you okay, dude?”

“I’m fine. It’s just… once I started thinking about going back to Earth I… I started missing my mom, and my brother Marco, and my brother Luis, and my sister Veronica, and my grandma and…” Lance’s eyes filled with tears. You pulled him to you in a comforting hug, and he sniffed into your shoulder.

“Um… are you crying?” Hunk asked gently.

“No!” Sniff. “No, I’ve just got… space dust in my eyes.” Sniff, sniff. “It’s very dusty in here.”

You bit your lip to stop yourself from laughing. You understood why Lance was upset – he was very close to his large, exuberant family – and yet for some perverse reason, his tears made you want to burst into hysterical laughter. You were a terrible friend.

You got the weird sense that Keith’s reaction would be exactly the same as yours.

Commander Holt broke the awkward silence by turning to Matt and Pidge. “I guess this is it.”

“I wish I could go with you,” Matt said. “I’d love to help build Earth’s first galactic defence system.”

“I’m just worried we won’t have enough time and resources to make a dent before we need it,” his father replied.

Pidge looked up at her dad. “A wise man once told me, if you get too worried about what could go wrong, you might miss your chance to do something great.”

Sam smiled down at his daughter. “Sounds like a wise man indeed.”

Turning to his son, he said, “Matt, you be careful on the front lines. Pidge, keep an eye on your brother for me.”  
  
“You got it, Dad,” promised Pidge.

“I love you both so much,” Sam wailed, pulling both of his children to his chest fiercely. They returned his embrace with teary hugs of their own.

“There… there _is_ a lot of space dust in here,” sniffed Hunk.

“Waaaaaaaah! It’s filthy!” sobbed Coran.

You, Shiro and Allura gave them all fond looks of amusement as you stoically said your own farewells to Commander Holt.

Allura opened the wormhole, and the pod entered, heading back to Earth.

**************************************

Keith stood beside Kolivan as he explained the latest mission. “This base was, until recently, run by a Galra commander named Ranveig. He was developing a super-weapon of some sort. We’re not sure of the weapon’s specs, but we do know that it is incredibly powerful.”

“How did we learn all this?” Keith asked.

“We have a spy in Ranveig’s camp who’s managed to acquire high-level security clearance,” Kolivan answered. “Since Ranveig’s departure, it’s possible she has assumed control of the base, but we can’t be sure.”

“Why not?"

“We’re not the only ones who know of the weapon.” Kolivan brought up two new images. “Two Galra factions, led by Commanders Trugg and Landok, are at war over the territory. Since their fighting began, all communication has been cut off. We need _you_ to infiltrate the base, extract our spy, and destroy Ranveig’s weapon.”  
  
Turning to the young man, Kolivan spoke seriously. “Keith, this is of the utmost importance. If either faction acquires this weapon, it could tip the balance of power in their favour. So you cannot allow your feelings to cloud your judgment.”

Keith glared at the Blade Commander. His feelings for you and the other Paladins had never hampered his ability to complete a mission. “I wouldn’t…” he objected.

“You have in the past,” Kolivan replied. “Remember – the mission is the only thing that matters. Emotions are a luxury we cannot afford.”

Kolivan highlighted a new figure. “This is the operative you will be contacting. Her name is Krolia.”

**************************************

Allura steered the Castleship directly under the Galra headquarters which had so recently been under the command of Emperor Zarkon.

Lance shuddered. “I can’t believe we’re flying into the belly of the beast.”

“It’s strange to think the last time we were here, we were fighting the Galra,” Hunk said. “Now we’re working with them.”

“We have to do everything we can to support Lotor,” Princess Allura told them. “This is our chance to promote a new era of peace.”

The Castle docked, and everyone descended. To your astonishment, Lotor awaited with a full honour guard of Galra sentries to welcome you.

“Thank you for coming, my friends,” he greeted you. “I have prepared a new Imperial banner to herald our alliance. This is the same symbol that flew over our fathers when they worked together as the original Paladins of Voltron. I hope that we can return the universe to that golden age.”

You all came to a halt directly in front of him, and he continued his monologue. “Since I ascended to the throne, the Galra Empire has been torn apart. A sizeable portion has sworn its allegiance to me; however massive factions remain in revolt.”

“Uh, okay. The Galra aren’t exactly known to turn the other cheek,” Hunk reminded the prince.

“They’re more likely to swing the other fist,” you added with a frown.

Shiro added his concerns. “How do you get an Empire that’s only known violence for thousands of years to put down their weapons?”

“By providing them with the very thing they’re fighting for,” Lotor responded easily. “Quintessence. Unlimited amounts of it. And Allura, _you_ are the key to getting it.”  
  
The princess looked startled, then smiled as Lotor continued. “I’m sure you’ll be interested in inspecting every aspect of the Galra headquarters.”

“I’d like to cross-reference our star charts with current Galra troop locations,” Shiro suggested.

The Galra Emperor said magnanimously, “Consider it done.”

“You want to sync our intelligence to the Galra headquarters?” Coran asked incredulously. “Well, I never thought I’d see the quiznakking quintant.”

You blanched at Coran’s casual use of the Altean curse word.

Lotor directed one of his sentries to lead Shiro and Coran to the record room, assuring them that they would find everything they needed contained therein. He smiled at you, Lance, Hunk and Pidge. “I am leaving you with a personal escort that will take you wherever you’d like to go.”

Turning to Allura, he said, “Come, Princess. There is much work to be done.”

He led her away as Lance scowled, obviously hoping he could burn Lotor to a crisp with the white-hot fury of his gaze.

Hunk looked speculatively at the sentry. “Soooooo, we’re free to roam around Galra HQ and have some fun?”

**[What is… fun?]** queried the sentry.

Lance grinned impishly. “You’re about to find out.”

“Lance, it’s a robot,” you reminded him. “It can’t have fun.”

“Unless…” Pidge frowned speculatively, before a grin split her face. “I reprogram it!”

“Take us to the central repair centre!” Hunk exclaimed cheerfully.

You sighed internally. This was sure to be epic – epically fun or epically disastrous, you weren’t sure which, but either way it would be epic.

**************************************

Pidge adjusted the final wire. “Reconfigured processor inserted.”

“Check!” Hunk confirmed.

“All rewired for optimal fun performance!” Pidge added.

“Checkity check!”

“Now just gotta upload the new program…” She fiddled for another second or so. “Aaaaaaand… I’m finished.”

She and Hunk high-fived each other. “Yeah! Team Punk does it again!”

You giggled while Lance just looked bewildered. He looked down at the sentry, still silent on the workbench. “How do we know if it worked?”

The droid powered up, sitting up so suddenly that Pidge fell backwards to the floor in shock. The sentry looked at each of you in turn. **[You dum-dums got any non-lethal semi-combustible diversionary devices?]**

“Wha-?” Lance stammered in confusion.

“I think he’s looking for _FIRECRACKERS!_ ” Pidge squealed gleefully.

“Oh, it worked,” you deadpanned. Hunk just grinned.

**************************************

The four of you were hiding behind a trolley in the galley, waiting to see if the explosives would work as planned. A loud *CRACK* was heard, and purple food goo splattered all over everything.

Loud cheers from all of you dissolved into fits of laughter. The four of you sat, wheezing, as you tried to figure out what to do next.

“Hunk, hand me another packet of food goo,” Lance ordered.

Just as Hunk was about to comply with the request, a loud voice sounded. “Halt! You are being detained for unsafe sustenance preparation!”  
  
Two Galra glared at you.

**[Scram!]** the sentry suggested, and all of you beat a hasty retreat, jumping onto a trolley and speeding away before the two guards could catch you.

This robot was going to get you into more trouble than you’d ever been in at the Garrison, and you hadn’t had so much fun in months.

**************************************

Keith flew through the laser fire of two opposing Galra forces. “Looks like things have escalated between Ladnok and Trugg,” he muttered to himself. “Best to try to blend in with the debris. Don’t want to attract any fire. Here goes nothing.”

He ducked and weaved through the debris field, using the floating space flotsam and jetsam to cover his tracks as much as possible. Just as he thought that he had managed to safely exit the debris field, the left wing of his jet was struck by a piece of metal, and he began plummeting towards the planet’s surface. He tried in vain to pull up, but the jet lost power and he ended up crashing into the ground.

As he left the smoking remains of the jet, he realised that he had landed not too far from the base that was his intended target. Fortune seemed to be smiling on him for once.

Keith made his way inside, avoiding detection from the numerous sentries racing through the compound. He glanced around a corner, just as he thought he saw the operative he was to meet. Krolia, was it?

Before he could blink, Krolia turned her head and stared directly at the spot where he was hidden, holding his breath and hoping desperately that he hadn’t been seen. When he dared another glance around the corner, she was gone.

He followed the sentries down the corridor, his blade drawn. Rounding the corner, he swung his blade directly into the face of someone who had a blaster pointed into his own face. His voice betrayed his shock. “Krolia!”

Krolia’s eyes flicked down towards his blade, before she lowered her blaster. “You’re late. We don’t have much time.”

**************************************

No matter where you went, those darned Galra sentries found you and interrupted your fun. They halted your impromptu golf game using bits of scrap metal and the limbs of sentries you’d blown up; they ruined the soccer match you had with the head of a fallen sentry; and they objected rather violently to being tied up and rammed at the nearest wall at the fastest speed you could muster on the trolleys you’d pilfered from the loading bay.

The sentries were appeased, however, when Hunk offered them popsicles that he’d made from the purple food goo. They even suggested new ways to get in trouble that you hadn’t even thought of yet.

Maybe Allura was right. Perhaps working with the Galra wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

**************************************

“Why would Kolivan risk sending you here now?” Krolia asked irritably as she typed furiously at the keyboard.

Keith gazed at her seriously. “Because he’s heard about Ranveig’s super-weapon. We can’t let it fall into the wrong hands.”

“I’m assuming Ranveig’s dead since Commander Trugg is attacking my base.”

“Trugg is on the verge of crushing your forces,” Keith growled. “We have to destroy the super-weapon now. What _is_ the weapon, exactly?”

Krolia looked up. “Warlord Ranveig intercepted an undocumented shipment of Quintessence travelling through his territory. He took it for his own and began experimenting with it. It’s more powerful than any Quintessence we’ve received from the Empire. And it has some very… unexpected effects.”

Before Keith could respond, the base was hit by an enormous blast. **[First level of defense has been breached. Activating second level of defense.]**

Krolia checked the video feed. “Trugg’s fleet has touched down! We’re running out of time. Come on!”

Keith didn’t hesitate to follow her as she ran from the control room and down the hall. She led him to an elevator and they went up several floors. When they reached the required level, Krolia barked, “Get to that console!”

Keith did as instructed, even as Krolia headed to another console and began typing frantically. “We need to simultaneously enter this code,” she began.

They were interrupted as an explosion sounded, and the doors to the room were blasted by several sentries. The sentries entered, blasters raised.

Without thinking, Keith drew his Marmora blade and slashed at the nearest sentry, disabling it as he slid between its legs before leaping to his feet and swinging at the next one. He took down several before one of them flung him away, causing him to drop his sword.

Krolia leapt to his defence, blasting them with her pistol. She grabbed Keith’s Marmora blade and hacked her way through several more sentries before she realised she was surrounded. Before she could attack again, she saw Commander Trugg holding Keith by the scruff of his neck.

Trugg shook Keith. “Surrender or die!”

Keith watched in astonishment as Krolia returned his blade back to its dagger form, before raising her hands in surrender. “We can make a deal.”

“What are you doing?” he yelled at her in disbelief.

She gazed at him steadily. “I left you once. I’ll never leave you again.”

Keith furrowed his brow in confusion. What was she talking about?

“Give us a ship, and I’ll give you the codes to the weapon,” Krolia demanded.

Trugg scoffed. “Why should I trust you?”

“You don’t have a choice. I’m the only one who knows the access code. If you try to break in, the room will self-destruct. Once we’re airborne, I’ll give you the code.”

Trugg snarled in frustration.

**************************************

You stood looking over the sentry, who was now tied to the front of a Galra ship.

“Are you sure about this?” Hunk asked worriedly.

**[We’ve been over this already. Let’s light this candle. Wooooooooo!]**

“Do you think Lotor would mind us firing the ro-beast coffin?” Hunk asked sceptically. The rest of you shrugged. Who cared whether Lotor minded? You were having fun, and that was all that mattered right now.

Besides, if the ro-beast was lost in the depths of space, then it couldn’t be resurrected to wreak havoc again. It was a win-win as far as you were concerned.

**[Come on!]** the sentry demanded impatiently. **[I’ve always wanted to see the stars.]**

“And now you will,” Lance promised, as he smashed the launch button. The ship’s thrusters burned, and you watched as the sentry was launched into space.

**[Later, pala-dudes! Wheeeeeeeeeeee!]**

“That’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” Pidge sighed happily.

“That guy is my hero,” Lance said proudly.

“Fly straight, Robo-guy,” you said.

All of you saluted as your robot hero flew into oblivion, never to be seen again.

**************************************

“I still can’t believe you’d give them the weapon just to save me!” Keith fumed as Krolia prepped the jet for launch. “You compromised the mission!”

“Keith, shut up and trust me!” Krolia snapped. She finished typing the sequence. “Commander Trugg, we are prepared for lift-off. Are you at the weapon’s console?”

“Affirmative.”  
  
Krolia’s voice was steady. “The code is Beta-Five-Two-Seven-Four-Omega-Five-Four-Five.”

“Confirmed,” came Trugg’s voice as the code worked.

Krolia turned to Keith. “Get us out of here, now!”

Keith pushed the throttle forward and flew away as fast as he could. He grew alarmed when he realised that the base’s ion cannons were preparing to fire at them. “They’re locking onto us! Hold on!”

He pushed the throttle to max capacity and sped away, ducking and weaving the fire from below. As they flew into the debris field, he began to despair that they would make it out alive.

After one too many close shots, he growled at Krolia, “This is why you shouldn’t have made that trade for me! We could die, and you just handed that weapon over to Trugg!”

“No, Keith,” Krolia contradicted. “I handed _them_ over to _it_.”

Harrowing screams were heard over the comms for a few seconds, before an eerie silence took its place.

Eventually, Keith felt that the worst of the danger was over. “We’re far enough away. They stopped firing at us.”

He walked up to Krolia, who held out his Marmora blade. “I should give this back to you,” she said.

“How were you able to use it?” he asked curiously as he took it from her, returning it to its sheath.

She closed her eyes and exhaled deeply. “Because it used to be mine. Before I gave it to your father.”

Keith’s eyes grew round at the implication of what she’d just told him.

“You’re my…”


	6. My Own Worst Enemy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team searches for a portal to a mysterious, fabled Altean land called Oriande. Shiro starts to feel like there’s something wrong with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is based on Series 5 Episode 6: “White Lion”

Allura held an ancient Altean artefact in her hands, more excited than you had ever seen her.

You looked at it doubtfully. “So this magic rock is going to guide us to a mysterious planet?"

“A land known as Oriande,” Lotor answered.

Coran chortled. “I’m afraid someone’s been ruggling your wimble, Prince Lotor. Oriande is just an Altean folk tale. It doesn’t actually exist.”

“That’s what I thought, Coran,” Allura said. “But now, I have a feeling it is quite real.”

Lotor spoke again. “It is the birthplace of all Altean alchemy. The place where King Alfor learned the secrets that helped him create Voltron. And where Allura will master those same secrets, so that my ships may enter the Quintessence field.”

Ugh. Why the quiznak could the princess not see that Lotor was only using her for his own gain? There was no possible benefit to her in this arrangement that you could discern. Everything would give advantage to Lotor, not Allura. But the princess would not hear a word against him, so you kept your misgivings to yourself.

“And what makes _you_ the authority on crazy Altean nonsense?” Lance scoffed. “Coran knows more made up magical gobbledegook than anyone I’ve ever met.”

Coran preened at Lance’s praise. “Thank you, Lance. And I can assure you King Alfor never mentioned anything to me about travelling to Oriande.”

“In all likelihood he kept it a secret from everyone,” Lotor countered. “I have been researching Oriande for centuries, hoping to learn more about my Altean ancestry. Over time I’ve managed to gather intelligence from all over the universe that hinted at its existence. Now, thanks to Princess Allura, I will finally gaze upon its magnificence with my own eyes.”

Hunk raised his hand as he always did when he wished to say something. “Um, aren’t you a little busy running your Empire to be taking a magical vacation?”

“In order to transition the Galra Empire to a peaceful existence, I need to open up a pathway to the Quintessence field. Once my people have access to unlimited energy, the old ways of the Empire will be behind them.”

Allura looked at the artefact she held. “If this voyage is successful, the universe will finally be on the path to peace.”

She smiled at Lotor, who returned her smile with a charming one of his own, and you found yourself mentally rolling your eyes. The guy was far too charming to be trustworthy. He practically oozed charm, and it made your skin crawl.

Shiro interrupted your thoughts. “Well, let’s find out where we’re going.”

Allura brought up the star chart, syncing it with the map she’d unlocked in the artefact she’d found in the Galra headquarters. It glowed briefly before highlighting a small section of space.

“There,” pointed the princess. “Between those three celestial bodies. That’s where we’re headed.”

Coran gasped with recognition. “Wait a tick! That’s the Patrulian Zone!”

“The what now?” Lance asked, one eyebrow raised.

“The Patrulian Zone is a mysterious part of space where ships enter, and are never heard from again,” Coran said in hushed tones. “Princess, that area has been deemed unsafe to navigate for ages.”

“The perfect place to hide a magical world,” Lotor said silkily.

“Or to crash and die,” you muttered pessimistically. Lance nodded his agreement of your assessment of the situation.

Allura’s face grew determined. “We will approach with caution. Prepare our course, Coran.”

Coran sighed with resignation. “Yes, Princess.”

**************************************

The Castle exited the wormhole, entering what looked like a massive ship graveyard.

“We’re entering the Patrulian Zone,” Coran said quietly.

“What’s that up ahead?” asked Shiro. “Asteroid belt?”

“No. It’s a graveyard.”

Quiznak. You hated it when you were right.

“What caused them all to lose power?” Hunk asked, his voice betraying his unease.

“No one knows,” Coran told him.

Pidge studied the data scans on her console, then looked up with concern. “I think we just found out.”

A light brighter than any you’d ever encountered shone directly in front of you. Everyone gasped.

Lance jumped to his feet. “Is that some kind of super massive star?”

“No. Unbelievable. It’s a white hole!” Pidge exclaimed.

“Woah!” Hunk grinned. “Take that, theoretical physics!”

“Wait, what’s a white hole?” Lance was beginning to think it had been a bad idea to sleep through most of his science lectures.

“Unlike a black hole which has massive amounts of gravity which sucks everything _in_ , a white hole is an opposite body that shoots massive amounts of energy _out_ from an unknown source,” you explained. Pidge and Hunk nodded, knowing that Lance was more likely to understand your generalised explanation than their more scientific-based ones.

“It’s blasting this whole area with crazy high radiation,” Hunk added.

Shiro looked grim. “All the energy must have fried those ships systems.”

Lotor rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he recited something. “ _‘The wise stay back from the fire. Fools are burned on the pyre. The mystic becomes one with the flame. The embers and he are the same.’_ ”

“Is that, like, a song you’re working on?” Lance asked the prince. “Because it sucks.”

“It’s a poem by an ancient Altean alchemist. I discovered it carved next to a cave painting of a fiery sphere. I never realised until now that it describes the route to Oriande.” Lotor turned to gaze at Allura. “We must go into the white hole.”

“Are you guys serious?” Hunk asked incredulously. “We’re navigating by cave poetry now?”

“How are we supposed to go through the white hole?” demanded Pidge. “If we get any closer, we’re going to end up like those dead ships out there!”

Allura’s brow creased with a frown. “We wormhole inside.”

“Princess, no!” Coran objected.

“Voltron can withstand forces other ships cannot,” the princess told him calmly.

“Are you sure?” Shiro asked as he got to his feet.

“If this is the home of Altean alchemy, then Voltron _will_ make it through,” she said firmly.

Lance’s worry increased. “And what if it’s just another nuclear explosion in space? Then we’re toast!”

Coran grew increasingly frantic. “Princess, I think you’ve taken this quest far enough. Lotor is sending you to your doom!”

Lotor’s smirk widened. “Quite the opposite. It is a mission of life discovery.”

“You need to zip it!” Lance scolded the prince, not wanting to hear another word about Allura spending even more time with the Galra heir.

“Believe me, I would never ask any of you to do this if I didn’t know…” Allura took a deep breath. “… If I didn’t _feel_ in my heart that it is true. I belong here.”

“This is as far as we can go,” Pidge said. “Any further and we’ll be affected by the Patrulian Zone’s radiation.”

You looked out at the white hole and the wreckage of all the ships surrounding it, hoping that Voltron and the Castle were not about to suffer the same fate.

**************************************

Voltron exited the Castle. Shiro’s voice sounded. “Alright, Coran. Open up the wormhole.”

“Ugh. Well, let’s fly into the cosmic death storm,” Lance groaned. You squeezed his shoulder, sharing his trepidation.

Voltron flew into the wormhole, and found itself in the heart of the white hole. An enormous force began to push Voltron backward.

Shiro groaned in agony. “Argh! We’re being blasted backward! Full power to thrusters!”

Allura and Hunk shoved the thrusters forward, and Voltron once again moved toward the centre of the white hole.

“We’re making progress!” Allura said through gritted teeth.

She appeared to have spoken too soon, as suddenly a huge image of a White Lion appeared in front of you.

“Is that a… Lion?” you asked in a stunned voice.

The White Lion opened its mouth and let out a mighty roar, the force of which pushed Voltron backward yet again.

“Why is it attacking us?” cried Allura.

“Fire lasers!” Shiro ordered.

The Green Lion fired its mouth cannon, and the White Lion dissipated before the blast hit it, only to reform as soon as the laser had passed.

“There’s nothing to hit!” cried Lance.

The Lion roared again, this time blasting a powerful laser of its own. Voltron brought up its shield, but it appeared to be of little use as it was once again pushed back.

Amidst your screams, Lotor’s voice came over the comms. “You need to get out of there! That thing is a Guardian! It will only allow worthy Alteans through.”

“Oh, thanks for the tip!” Lance retorted.

Shiro gave the order to pull back, and Voltron moved to fly out of the white hole. The Lion sent another blast towards you, and Voltron moved out of the way. However, the blast left the white hole and hit the Castle, destroying the particle barrier and shutting down all the systems. The Castle started drifting listlessly towards the spaceship graveyard.

Allura’s voice was urgent. “We must get back to the Castle!”

Just as Voltron exited the white hole, another blast from the White Lion hit its back, tearing all the Lions apart. They drifted, powerless, into the graveyard as well.

“Ugh! I can’t control my Lion!” wailed Pidge.

“Me neither,” Lance said. “We’ve lost power.”

“I’m dead in the water,” Pidge’s voice was filled with frustration

Shiro’s voice was just as on edge. “I think we all are.”

“These Lions aren’t going anywhere,” added Hunk.

“Everyone, prepare for a manual EVA,” Shiro instructed. “Rendezvous back at the Castle. We need to figure this out.”

The six of you propelled yourselves back to the Castle with your jetpacks, hoping that you could figure out a way to get everything back online before you were stuck drifting in space for eternity.

**************************************

The team walked onto the Castle bridge just as the main console powered up. Coran got to his feet. “I’ve managed to restore auxillary power but it won’t last long. If we don’t get the Castle up and running within the next quintant, we’ll be out of air.”

“Maybe we can decrease our breathers by _one_ ,” Lance suggested, glaring at the Galra prince.

Hunk gestured to the glowing markings adorning Lotor’s face. “Uhhhhhhh… what’s up with your face?”

“Yeah, and if this is the home of Altean alchemy, why can’t Voltron get in?” Pidge pressed.

Lotor looked contrite. “I’m sorry to put us in this position. But I think I know the answer. Look at Allura.”

Several pairs of eyes focussed on the princess, who had just removed her helmet. Everyone gasped as her Altean markings started glowing, just as Lotor’s were.

“What’s happening?” you demanded.

Allura walked up to Lotor, staring at him in wonder. “You have them too.”

He looked even more smug than usual. “It’s called the Mark of the Chosen. They are mentioned in some of the Oriande legends. They indicate those worthy of entering the realm.”

“Wait.” Shiro frowned. “Why aren’t Coran’s marks glowing?”

“There are different types of Alteans,” Lotor replied smoothly. “Allura possesses a deep connection to ancient Altean energy. It enables her to operate the teludav and change her shape and size. Her father had greater alchemic understanding than any before him. Others are… _less_ magical.”

Coran glared at the thinly veiled insult.

Hunk asked, “So what do we do now?”

“Allura and I need to enter the white hole alone,” Lotor told him.

Because _of course_ they did. You rolled your eyes, not bothering to hide your displeasure. Lance likewise seemed less than pleased by Lotor’s pronouncement. _“What?”_

“Absolutely not!” cried Coran. “What about the monster?”

“The monster is a guard keeping the unworthy out,” said the prince. “It won’t hurt us.”

“Yeah, and before you thought it wasn’t going to hurt _us!”_ Lance reminded him.

Ever practical, Pidge wanted to know how the two royals were going to get into the white hole.

“We can use the personal transport crafts,” Allura told her with a smile.

Coran placed his hands on her shoulders as he pleaded with her to reconsider. “Allura, please! It’s too dangerous.”

Gently removing his hands, Allura smiled at her advisor. “Coran, I _must_ gain some kind of alchemic knowledge in Oriande. Both to save our own lives, and bring peace to the universe.”

“Coran! Don’t tell me you’re going to cave in on this!” Lance objected.

“Lance.” Shiro’s tone of voice indicated he wasn’t going to put up with any further arguments. “She’s right.The ship is stuck unless the princess can somehow get it restarted.”

“Don’t worry,” Allura assured him. “This _will_ work. I can feel it.”

None of you were reassured.

**************************************

Lance fretted as you all watched Allura and Lotor flying towards the white hole on their personal transports. “Did they make it in?”  
  
“I don’t know,” Coran responded. “I can’t get any readings beyond the edge of the white hole.”

“We’ll just have to wait,” said Shiro.

**************************************

Pidge, Hunk and Coran were tinkering with the Castle’s systems, attempting to restore power before all of you ran out of air. Shiro stood to one side, brooding, and Lance was sulking in another corner, still miffed that Allura was alone with the Galra prince. You hovered uselessly nearby, willing to provide assistance to Hunk and Pidge if they needed it, although you knew full well that you were more likely to hinder their progress than provide any real help.

Pidge fiddled with another wire. “Anything?”

“No,” Hunk reported.

“What’s happening?” Lance muttered. “What do you think they’re doing right now?”

“Now?” asked Pidge.

“Yes,” said Lance.

“No,” said Coran at the same time.  
  
“Wait, what?” Lance cried.

“We’re not talking to you, Lance!” Pidge groaned in frustration. She fiddled some more. “Is this doing anything?”

“Do you think she’s alright?” asked Lance. “I mean, will they be able to get back?”

“I don’t think so,” Hunk answered Pidge’s query.

“You don’t?” shrieked Lance.

Once again, Pidge cried, “He’s not talking to you!”

“Well, excuse me for being concerned!” Lance’s voice was several octaves higher than usual.

“Lance, let’s leave them to it. I think we’re just getting in the way here,” you said, pulling your friend away from the tech-heads. Hunk and Coran gave you grateful smiles as Pidge continued to pepper them with questions about whether her tinkering was having any effect.

“It’s just nerve wracking waiting for Allura to get back,” Lance said as the two of you walked to where Shiro was standing.

“I know. I’m uneasy, too,” you admitted.

“I’m afraid they’re dead,” Coran muttered, frowning at the chargers that Pidge was trying to fix.

“WHAT?!”

“Shiro! Y/N! Can you take Lance, please?” Pidge begged.

**************************************

“It’s okay, Shiro. I’ll be quiet,” Lance said, shoulders slumped as he noticed Shiro’s disapproving gaze upon him. “You don’t have to babysit me.”

Shiro ignored him as he looked at you. “Y/N, let me ask you something. Do you remember on Olkarion, how you asked me about… talking to you from inside Voltron?”

“Wait, what?” Lance looked at you. “You never told me that, Y/N!”

“I remember,” you told Shiro.

“What happened there?” the Black Paladin asked. He seemed… lost, somehow. “I can’t remember any of it.”

Your brow creased into a frown as you thought back to that moment. “Well, we were all in some sort of… astral plane, I suppose. You were calling out to me, but I couldn’t hear what you were saying.”

Lance looked at your team leader, seeming to notice how uncertain Shiro looked. “Are you okay?”

“I don’t know,” Shiro admitted. “My head… I’m just… I’m feeling so confused. It’s like…”

“Like what?” you asked softly, almost dreading the answer.

Shiro’s eyes bored into yours. “Like I’m not myself.”

Lance shrugged. “It’s probably just lack of oxygen. You should sit down. We’ll get through this.”

Shiro sat down, leaning his head against the wall, while you and Lance did likewise.

The shiver that ran down your spine frightened you more than anything you had faced to date. You had the sudden premonition that something terrible was going to happen, and it was going to involve Shiro.

**************************************

The team lay in a heap on the floor of the Castle bridge, breathing shallowly so as to preserve what little precious oxygen remained.

**[Oxygen levels five percent.]**

“There must be some way for us…” Pidge gasped. “…to harness the power of the white hole…” Gasp. “…and use it to get the ship working.”

“We’ve tried everything,” Hunk whispered. “I don’t think I can keep moving.”

Lance looked up just as an alarm sounded beeping. “Guys, look! It’s Alluuuu…argh….” His voice faced as he passed out.

**************************************

Allura stood under the power crystal, which lit up as soon as she touched the controls. The Castle’s systems powered up, and all of you got to your feet as you felt the oxygen practically rushing through the Castle.

Air had never tasted so sweet.

“You did it!” Coran congratulated the princess.

“We never should have doubted you,” wheezed Lance as he stood unsteadily.

“I couldn’t have done it without Lotor,” Allura replied happily.

The Galra’s scowl, which had marred his face since being unceremoniously booted out of Oriande, turned immediately to a satisfied smirk as the princess turned her gaze upon him. “You are a true Altean alchemist. Oriande was for you, not for me.”

Allura smiled, but the rest of you looked at him sceptically.

“So what’s the next step?” you asked, eager to break the uncomfortable tension which was threatening to overshadow Allura’s achievement.

“Settle down, Y/N! We just started breathing again!” Lance whined.

None of you realised that you were being observed by a sinister force outside of the Castle.


	7. Always Expect Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An attack by Sendak prompts the Paladins to scramble to a planet’s defense. Lotor calls on Allura for help in assembling a powerful ship, while Lance tries to convince her that the continued liberation of planets from Galra rule should be the first priority.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter based on Series 6, Episode 1: “Omega Shield”

The Castleship flew once more to Galra headquarters. Lotor stood with a satisfied smile on his face. “To return so triumphant is a dream I never thought I’d achieve. We are one step closer to bringing peace and prosperity to the universe.”

He turned to Princess Allura. “This is all because of you, Princess.”

Allura smiled at him. “We did it together, Lotor. I would have never even known of Oriande without you, and therefore could have never unlocked its secrets.”

Lance scowled, which quickly turned into a grin when he saw you pretending to gag behind Lotor’s back. It seemed you detested the new Emperor just as much as he did.

The Castle docked, and all of you once again entered the Galra headquarters.

“We’ll see what intel is in your briefing and decide what to do from there,” Shiro told Lotor. “Maybe we can…”

“Lotor.” A firm voice was heard, and you all gaped at the formidable-looking Galra female standing directly before you. She looked like someone who operated a torture chamber purely for the enjoyment she derived from it.

Lotor’s face paled, his expression giving the distinct impression that he was in serious trouble. “Oh no.”

“Uh, who the heck are you?” Lance asked.

“How _dare_ you speak to me without authorisation from Blood-Emperor Lotor!” The woman struck Lance with what looked like a riding crop, causing him to yelp in pain.

Lotor gave a long-suffering sigh. “ _She_ was my governess. No one has used the term ‘Blood-Emperor’ since before we were a starfaring race. And these…” Lotor turned to gesture to all of you standing behind him. “… are my colleagues. They have more than my permission to speak. Everyone, this is Daiyak.”  
  
Daiyak bowed her head as each of you greeted her in turn, somewhat halfheartedly in the case of Lance.

“So,” Lotor said, his mouth downturned in a grimace. “To what do we owe the honour?”

“Word of your victory at the Kral Zera has spread throughout the Empire,” Daiyak informed him proudly. “I always knew you had it in you to crush your enemies. Daiyak’s raised you from a child to a man and now I’ll witness your ascension to the throne!”

Lance doubled over with mirth at Lotor’s pained expression. “Bahahaha! Wait, she raised you from a child? Awwww, is this your nanny?”

“Governess,” Lotor corrected him primly.

“You have a _nanny!_ Oh man, is she going to read you bedtime stories? Is she gonna rock you to sleep? Is she…”

_Thwack!_ Lance yelped as once again Daiyak struck him.

“I instructed Lotor in the ways of the Galra,” she said sternly. “The history of our conquests. Our customs, battle philosophy, the art of war…”

“Hm. Galra customs, huh?” Hunk mused. “Is that like when you guys say _‘Vrepit sa’_ and stuff? Gah, there’s so much we don’t know about you.”

Lotor gave Hunk’s shoulder a friendly pat. “If you’re interested in our society’s history, you couldn’t find a better teacher than Daiyak.”

Oh, no. That was a trap if ever you heard of one.

“What Lotor says is true,” Daiyak replied without a hint of modesty.

“Wow. Would you really teach me about the Galra?” Naturally, Hunk failed to see the trap set before him.

Lance looked at him curiously. “What do you want to know about the Galra for?”

Hunk shrugged. “Well, we’re going to be working with Lotor to bring peace throughout the Empire, right? It just makes sense that the more we know about their society, the better.”

Daiyak looked down upon Hunk from her imposing height. “If you are to learn the ways of the Galra, you must be prepared for the most challenging trial you could ever undertake. There will be no turning back. Victory, or death!”

Hunk gulped. “Oh, that’s okay.”

Allura grinned. “Hunk, you’re a Paladin of Voltron. There is no challenge too great for you.”

“Will I learn what _‘Vrepit sa’_ means?” he asked timidly.

“Yes,” Daiyak said.

“Yes! Let’s do it!”

Daiyak led the Yellow Paladin away, and you returned your attention to Lotor.

“Let’s get to that briefing,” Shiro suggested.

**************************************

The star chart highlighted several areas, linking them together.

“The civil war continues unimpeded,” one of Lotor’s sentries advised. “More and more Galra forces are leaving to join other factions. Sendak has claimed the most deserters. They call themselves the Fire of Purification.”

You shuddered at the memory of your treatment at the sadistic Galra’s hands in your early days as a Paladin. Sendak was like a thorn in everyone’s side that you just couldn’t get rid of. If there was one Galra you despised more than any other, it was him.

Lotor’s mouth was set in a grim line. “It is time I address all Galra and make my claim as Emperor Absolute.”  
  
“Is that going to start with you freeing planets?” Lance asked hopefully.

“It’s not that easy. My grip on the Empire is tenuous as is. I need to proffer an alternative to our current state.” Lotor turned to look at Allura. “That is why it is so important that Allura and I gain access to the Quintessence field.”

Allura frowned. “Are we to focus all of our energy on that?”

“It is paramount,” Lotor said seriously. “However, we cannot let the Empire fall apart. I will address my people at the Astral Conflux.”

**************************************

An alarm sounded, and one of Lotor’s generals was providing an update on the status of his base at a remote outpost, which had just been attacked by Sendak. “The planet has already been fired upon, and we do not have the means to protect ourselves. You must send assistance immediately!”

“Understood.” Lotor ended the transmission.

“What’s going on?” asked Shiro, who had just entered the control room.

“One of our labour planets is under attack from Sendak and his fleet,” Lotor advised, his tone steely.

“Sendak? Not that guy again!” Lance moaned.

“We’ve got to help that planet immediately,” you said, not wanting anyone – even the Galra - to suffer at Sendak’s hands any more than was necessary.

“Sendak would have me respond to his attack and neglect my Empire,” Lotor ground out.

Allura said, “Voltron can handle this while you continue to rule.”

“But Princess, I need you here,” Lotor protested. “Without you…”

Lotor was thinking of the ships he wanted Allura to help him build in order to access the Quintessence field. You glowered at the Emperor-to-be. He was only thinking of his own glory, at the expense of his people.

Allura likewise seemed unimpressed at his priorities. “Your plan has waited this long. It can wait a tick longer. We _must_ protect your innocent subjects.”

Chastened, Lotor appeared to change his mind. “Of course. You’re right.”

“We will return as soon as we can,” Allura promised him.

As the rest of you moved to head to the Lions, Hunk grinned sheepishly at Lotor’s former governess. “Well, it looks like I’m going to have to cut my training short…”  
  
“You dishonour me!” Daiyak hissed. “A fight to the death!”

Hunk squeaked with fright and rapidly made his way over to the rest of you, certain that you would protect him from the scary lady. As the Lions flew away from the Galra headquarters, Hunk’s worried voice came through the helmet comms. “Hey, Daiyak isn’t really going to fight me to the death, is she?”

“She seemed pretty serious,” Pidge replied with a grin.  
  
With laughter in your voice, you added, “But I bet if you asked Lotor nicely, he could have her exiled.”

“Oh, that’d be nice. I’m not really in the mood to die, you know,” Hunk muttered. “Uh, speaking of, is anybody else scared that we’re about to face Sendak?”

Pidge scoffed at his concerns. “Come on, Hunk. We’re Paladins. We got this, right Shiro?”

There was no response from the Black Paladin apart from a series of grunts.

“Shiro?”

“Pidge is right,” Shiro eventually replied, though he sounded weak. “Let’s focus on our mission.”

The Lions flew through the wormhole, and found themselves in the middle of Sendak’s fleet. His warships were firing their ion cannons at the planet below, causing several of the buildings to explode.

The Lions came to a halt above a shield which floated in orbit above the planet. This shield would provide the planet with a particle barrier to protect it from the radiation belt which passed through it several times a day.

Shiro suddenly gave a cry of pain.

“Shiro, are you alright?” Lance’s voice was filled with concern.

“I’m fine,” he panted. “Come on, team. Let’s form Voltron!”

Voltron flew towards Sendak’s fleet. The Galra general’s face appeared on your vid-screens. In a sneering tone, he said, “I know your true weakness – that you value the lives of others. And I will hammer that weakness until you are crushed beneath my heel.”

His ship’s ion cannon fired once again, but this time it was not directed at the planet below, but rather the protective shield above it. The blast split the panels apart, causing them to drift away from each other.

“Oh no!” Pidge cried. “Without those panels in place, the planet will be fully exposed!”

“Which means?” asked Lance, although he already knew the answer.

“They’ll have no protection from the radiation bands!”

Sendak’s ships flew away, having achieved their goal.

“We can’t let him get away!” cried Lance, channelling his inner Keith.

“Lance, there’s no time. We’ve got to fix that shield as…” Shiro’s order ended in an agonised gasp, as if something was torturing him.

“Shiro, are you alright?” Allura asked, her voice coloured with worry.

“I’m fine,” he insisted. “We can’t leave that planet unprotected.”

He contacted the Galra below. “We are the Paladins of Voltron, working with Emperor Lotor. We’re here to help you. What is the status of your shield system?”

The Galra base commander answered. “Paladins, I am Commander Boge. Our damage report indicates that a plate has been fractured. Our generator is offline and needs rebooting. Other plates have shifted out of their gravitational harnessing and must be repositioned. Only five doboshes until the next solar sequence.”

Quiznak. Five minutes to repair all of that damage? It was a task that even Voltron would struggle to complete in time.

“You’re the engineer, Hunk. How should we handle this?” Shiro deferred to the younger man’s expertise.

“We need to split up,” Hunk told him. “Pidge, you handle the generator system.”  
  
“Then I’m going to need Shiro to come with me,” the Green Paladin said. “I can use his arm to repower the mainframe.”  
  
“Okay, good. Lance, Y/N, Allura, I need you to re-fuse that fractured plate.”

“Affirmative,” Allura replied.

“You got it,” you and Lance agreed.

“I’m gonna try to get the plates realigned,” Hunk said.

“Okay, we’ve got our orders,” said Shiro. “Let’s move.”

The Lions separated and each team member prepared to do their part. Hunk liaised with the Galra Commander to confirm the correct position of each plate as he shifted them back into place, while Pidge took advantage of Shiro’s prosthetic hand to hack into the Galra tech and repair the damaged generator.

The Blue and Red Lions flew towards the fractured plate. Lance groaned at the number of large pieces floating in space. “Okay. Broken massive shield plate. I don’t suppose there’s a quick tutorial video on how to fix this, is there?”

Hunk’s voice was authoritative. “Make sure the connection is straight. If it’s even one degree off the shield will fail.”

“That’s not a tutorial!” Lance shrieked.

Allura sighed. “If _you_ hold them in place, then I can freeze them together. But I don’t think the ice will stand the radiation for very long.”

“Yes, but after you freeze them, we can use Red’s heat ray to weld them together,” you suggested.

“Great idea, Y/N,” Allura said, and the three of you got to work. Once all of the pieces were in place, Allura froze them together using Blue’s freeze ray. Lance then welded them together with Red’s heat ray, and you moved to join Hunk and Pidge as the radiation belt moved ever closer.

“Pidge, are you ready? We’re almost at the radiation belt,” Hunk said.

“Hold on,” Pidge advised. “I just need a few more minutes.”

“Guys, that radiation belt is getting closer!” you said.

Hunk grunted with satisfaction. “Last piece is in place. Fire up that power, Pidge!”

Pidge did as instructed, and the shield powered up, activating the shield just as the radiation belt started to move through.

Without warning, Shiro removed his hand from the sensor, causing the shield to disappear. He grimaced in pain as Pidge tried desperately to get him back to the sensor.

You watched in horror as the shield lost power and the plates began to drift apart once more. Allura was still on the shield, and Lance flew Red to push Blue out of the way in the nick of time. However, Red was struck by a power surge as the broken plate shorted out, and both you and Lance screamed in pain as the electricity tore through you.

Allura exited Blue and used her jetpack to fly towards Red, calling to the two of you as she approached. She found both of you unconscious in your seats, and in desperation she used her healing powers on both of you.

Hunk flew the Yellow Lion to push the largest piece of the broken plate back into place. “Pidge, what happened to the power? We’re almost at the radiation belt!”

“I know! I’m on it!” Pidge pulled Shiro back towards the sensor, holding out his prosthetic hand.

“Pidge!” Hunk cried. “Hit it now!”

Just as the radiation belt hit, Pidge placed Shiro’s hand on the sensor pad and the shield activated once more. The particle barrier surrounded the planet, protecting it from the radiation belt.

You blinked your eyes slowly as you returned to consciousness, the cheers of Hunk and Pidge rousing you, and couldn’t help the small smile on your face as you noticed Allura hovering protectively over Lance as he also opened his eyes. You had a feeling that Allura cared for the Blue Paladin much more than she realised.

**************************************

Hunk stood before the two Galra in charge of the planet you had just saved. The rest of you stood a few paces behind, allowing the Yellow Paladin the rare opportunity to bask in the glory of success which had been due to his quick thinking.

“Thank you for reminding us what it means to be Galra,” Commander Boge said to him. “Vrepit sa!”

“Vrepit sa!” Hunk returned the Galra salute. “Man, that’s weird to say.”

**************************************

The team flew back to the Castle, Lance still swooning from waking up to find himself being held by Allura while you tried to suppress your urge to tease him mercilessly.

“Nice work out there, Hunk,” you congratulated the engineer. “That Galra training really toughened you up.”

The snores emanating from the Yellow Lion were the only response.


	8. You Can't Always Get What You Want

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith’s journey to the Quantum Abyss in search of a source of Quintessence unlocks memories about his past, and provides a horrifying glimpse of the future. 
> 
> Lance confides in you about his unrequited love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter aligns with Series 6 Episode 2: “Razor’s Edge”
> 
> Flashbacks are in italics.

Krolia held out Keith’s Marmora blade. “I should give this back to you,” she said.

“How were you able to use it?” he asked curiously as he took it from her, returning it to its sheath.

She closed her eyes and exhaled deeply. “Because it used to be mine. Before I gave it to your father.”

Keith’s eyes grew round at the implication of what she’d just told him.

“You’re my… mom? How? How did you get to Earth? How did you meet my dad? How – how are you so sure?” He stammered out question after question, each one fired in rapid succession before Krolia had a chance to answer.

When he finally paused for breath, Krolia spoke. “I’m sure. This isn’t how I hoped to meet you again. And this isn’t how I wanted to tell you. But it’s the truth. We can talk about this later.”

_“What?”_ Keith cried. “You drop a bomb like this and then tell me you’ll explain later?”

Before he could object further, Krolia said, “We’ve got more important things to deal with right now.”

Keith grimaced, warring with himself internally before begrudgingly agreeing. “Fine.”

“We’re going after the enriched Quintessence that created Ranveig’s super-weapon,” Krolia continued.

Keith’s eyes widened again. “What? Kolivan and I have been searching for that same Quintessence for a long time.”

“I was with Ranveig when an unmarked cargo ship passed into his region,” Krolia explained. “When we checked it out, there was no crew aboard. The ship had been nearly torn to pieces. But inside, a single vat of Quintessence remained. It was unlike any other Quintessence we’d seen.”

Ever the pilot, Keith asked, “Were there navigation records aboard?”

“No, but I analysed the ship personally. The radiation signature indicated it had passed through the Quantum Abyss.”

“Quantum Abyss? What’s that?” Keith’s curiousity was piqued.

Krolia looked at him seriously. “It’s a part of the galaxy where dense neutron stars orbit even larger dark stars. In the Quantum Abyss, planets and other celestial bodies are being pulled and torn in different directions. It’s a chaotic, ever changing environment, and the presence of such massive objects has unusual effects on gravitational waves – and space-time itself.”

Keith studied the area that Krolia indicated on the vid-screen. “And that’s where we’re heading.”

“Yes.”

**************************************

“Hey, you guys starting without us?” Pidge called accusingly as the Paladins entered the hangar.

Allura jumped, looking slightly guilty as she moved away from Lotor. Lance scowled, and you narrowed your eyes in suspicion. Clearly you’d interrupted something that Allura didn’t want you to know about.

“Yeah, you didn’t think to call the engineers before you began building your inter-reality Quintessence-field magical Altean alchemy supership?” Hunk stood with his hands on his hips as he scolded the royals.

“Right,” Lance scoffed. “You didn’t think to call the _engineers?_ And Y/N? And me?” He leant on a toolbench, promptly knocking it over and scattering the tools across the floor of the hangar.

“And this is exactly why we don’t get you to help fix things, Pretty Boy,” you told him.

Allura grinned sheepishly. “I appreciate that you want to help. Unfortunately there’s not a lot for you to do.”

“Infusing the comet ore with Altean alchemy is quite different than simply building a ship,” Lotor added. Oh, how you wanted to punch that ever-present smirk off the Galra prince’s face.

Hunk and Pidge shared a look before simultaneously muttering, “Magic.”

“We’ll certainly call you if we’re in need of assistance,” Allura said soothingly.

Hunk shrugged. “Oh, well. More time to try and integrate those Galra shields with our Altean tech.”

He and Pidge wandered off to do more tinkering of their own, leaving you and Lance behind. Lance started to ask if Allura was sure that she didn’t need any help, when he noticed that she and Lotor were huddled together, looking at specs on the vid-screen before them.

Sighing morosely, he turned around to leave the hangar. You wrapped a companionable arm around his waist as you tried to think of a way to cheer up your lovelorn friend.

**************************************

The Galra jet flew to a part of the galaxy where planets and stars appeared to be caught in what looked like a giant space whirlpool, being sucked toward the centre of the mass of gravity there. Keith steered the jet as steadily as he could. “I think we’re here.”

“Bring us in,” Krolia responded. “Stay alert.”

“Are you sure we should go in there?” Keith asked doubtfully.

“Ranveig sent probes in here trying to track the Quintessence,” Krolia explained. “The probes picked up a path that was relatively unaffected by space-time.”

She sent the details to Keith’s nav-screen, and he studied it carefully. “So where does the path go?”

“We never found out. The probes were all destroyed.”  
  
Keith’s nervousness increased. “By what?”  
  
“We never found out,” Krolia admitted. “Keep sharp.”

Keith detected movement outside the cockpit, and turned his head to find himself staring directly at a gigantic floating eyeball. “What is _that?_ ”

The eyeball suddenly flared out its pincer-like legs and flew directly at the cockpit window, causing it to crack. Several more creatures attached themselves to the wings of the jet, short-circuiting it. An alarm began blaring instantly.

“Krolia! We got trouble!”

Krolia replied, “We need to shake them loose before they breach the hull!”

“Hang on!” Keith pushed the thrusters to maximum capacity, causing the jet to burst forward at an enormous speed. Most of the creatures were shaken loose by the velocity, as Keith flew directly toward the centre of the gravitational mass.

One creature, however, managed to worm its way inside the ship, manifesting in front of Krolia. She blasted it before it could attack. “Keith, what’s our status?”

The creature on the cockpit was continuing to attack, causing the windshield to crack even more. “The ship’s damaged. Thrusters are gone! I can’t hold her! We’re being pulled in!”

He fought the controls desperately as he tried to wrestle the ship away from the centre of the Quantum Abyss, but it continued to be pulled inexorably towards it. Grudgingly giving in to the inevitable, he called to Krolia, “We need to ditch!”

She opened the airlock, and both of them exited the ship in time to see it pulled into the centre of the mass and explode, taking the remaining creatures with it.

Landing on a nearby asteroid, Keith asked, “What were those things?”

“I don’t know, but they’re gone now.”

Keith sighed. “So is our ship. It had the coordinates to guide us through the Quantum Abyss.”

“We’ll have to make do,” said Krolia. She jetted toward another asteroid. “Come on. As long as we stay within the borders of the space-time drop-offs, we should be safe.”

“Basically, stay close so we won’t be sucked in and drawn into nothingness like those creatures,” Keith interpreted, as he hopped from rock to rock. “Got it.”

As they landed on a particularly large piece of debris, it started shaking violently. Keith struggled to maintain his footing. “What’s going on?”

Looking ahead, they saw a star expanding and brightening, before its light suddenly surrounded them. Krolia shielded Keith with her body, turning her back to the blinding light, and suddenly there was nothing but darkness.

**************************************

Keith opened his eyes slowly, blinking as his vision cleared. He gave a startled yelp as he found himself alone, in a blindingly white room. No longer dressed in his Marmora outfit, he was once again in his civilian clothing.

“Hello?” His call echoed in the emptiness.

Just as he thought he’d be alone forever, he heard what sounded like a baby crying. In surprise, he turned his head to find himself staring at the old shack he grew up in. On the front porch stood his father, and beside him was Krolia, cuddling an infant in her arms.

_“We’ll name him Yurak,” Krolia announced._

_Keith’s father’s eyes widened in distaste, before diplomatically suggesting, “How about… Keith?”_

_“Keith.” Krolia tried out the strange name. “I like that.”_

Keith stared in bewilderment. So it was true. Krolia really was his mother. But how was he seeing this? His birth, his parents together - it seemed like a dream.

Suddenly, the world around him darkened, the white light surrounding him changing to inky blackness.

_“Hello, Keith,” came a sinister voice._

_He turned, and saw Shiro standing before him. Only it didn’t seem like Shiro. His face was contorted into a mask of pure evil, his eyes glowing neon pink, just as his prosthetic arm was._

_“Shiro, it’s okay, we just need to get back to the Castle,” he heard his voice saying. Only he wasn’t really speaking. It was like a memory of something that hadn’t happened yet._

_“We aren’t going anywhere!” snarled Shiro, before the world changed again._

With a gasp, he sat up, finding himself back on the rock with Krolia. “What was that? Were those visions real?” he asked in desperation.

“Time collapses this close to dark stars,” Krolia said gently. “Going through the light triggers glimpses of the past. And the future.”

**************************************

Lance sat glumly at the console while Pidge and Hunk fiddled with all sorts of Galra gadgets. He ignored their chatter, and didn’t seem to notice that your arm was still around his shoulders.

Hunk eventually noticed that Lance’s mind seemed to be elsewhere. “Oh, I think Loverboy Lance is a little distracted _not_ thinking about the princess.”

Pidge cheekily flicked a bolt at the back of Lance’s head, causing him to yelp with pain. You glared at both of them, trying to tell them with a look to leave him alone, but the opportunity to tease the lovestruck Blue Paladin was too good to resist.

Hunk blinked, speaking in a posh voice that was clearly meant to imitate Allura. “Oh, Lahnce, could you stop daydreaming about me and test the connection?”

“Ha ha. Not funny,” Lance sulked, turning his back on the two tech-heads. “And I’m not daydreaming about you. I mean, her!”

Pidge’s grin widened. “That’s good, because it seems Allura’s got a thing with Lotor anyway.”

Lance sat up, horrified. “A _thing?_ ”

“Yeah, a thing,” Hunk agreed. “They’re probably gonna get married, you know, have babies with beautiful flowing alien white hair, all that stuff.”

Hunk and Pidge clasped hands, as Pidge cheerfully added, “He’s probably proposing right now.”

Dropping to one knee, Pidge stared up at Hunk in what was obviously meant to be a swoon-inducing pout. “Princess Allura, will you marry me?”

Blushing, Hunk twittered, “Oh, Lotor, you bad boy. Of course I will!”

The two of them laughed uproariously while poor Lance fumed.

“Alright, guys, that’s enough!” you snapped. “Can’t you see Lance is upset? Just leave him alone.”

They had the good grace to look slightly ashamed, although Pidge was clearly struggling to contain her laughter.

“Come on, Lance. Let’s go find something better to do,” you said, pulling him to his feet and leading him away from your teasing team-mates.

“Was it something we said?” Hunk called after you.

**************************************

Krolia leapt to the next asteroid, and just as Keith made his jump he was hit by another piece of debris, sending him in the opposite direction.

“Keith! You’re getting too close to the gravity wells,” Krolia scolded him. “Use your thrusters.”  
  
“I’m trying!”

In desperation, he flung his dagger at a passing rock, and Krolia yanked hard on the grappling line, pulling him free of the gravity well. He grabbed her hand just as another beam of light hit them.

He found himself watching Krolia flying a jet towards what appeared to be Earth. The Galra had found an energy signature which was almost identical to that of the Red Lion, and Keith surmised that they had tracked the Blue Lion. He was watching the moment his mother was about to land on Earth.

_“We should obtain visual confirmation before we call it in,” Krolia told her commander._

_“Negative. We’ve never received another reading like this before. There’s a Voltron Lion on this planet, I’m sure of it. Call it in immediately. That’s an order!”_

_Krolia flicked her eyes to the jet flying alongside her, before turning her own and firing upon her commanding officer._

_“You think you can take all the glory for yourself!” he cried as he evaded her fire._

_“I’m not looking for glory!” she retorted. Her ship was hit by return fire, just as she unleashed a fatal blow to the other jet. Her own jet plummeted towards the surface of the Earth as it lost power. She crashed, and Keith realised that she’d landed practically in the front yard of his father’s shack._

_He watched as his father took an axe to the hull of the ship, and saw the moment the two of them first saw one another._

The light passed, and Krolia pulled Keith back towards her, to the safety of the rock upon which she stood.

“That’s how you and Dad met,” he said softly. “How did you know to look for the Blue Lion on Earth?”

“We didn’t,” Krolia admitted. “After Sendak found the Red Lion, the Galra engineered a way to pick up on the Lion’s signatures from close range. So Zarkon had thousands of scouts searching for them. The Blade of Marmora made sure to embed agents in as many of those scout teams as possible, in an effort to prevent the Galra from obtaining any more Lions. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.”

Another beam of light radiated towards them. They braced themselves, and when Keith opened his eyes once more he found himself staring at the Blue Lion, safely behind its shield. Krolia and his father stood at its feet.

_“I never thought I’d see another Lion in my lifetime,” Krolia said softly._

_“You’ve been tellin’ me about this ship for months, but this is beyond words.” Keith’s father’s voice was filled with wonder. “Are you sure you don’t want me to contact the Garrison? They could help.”_

_“We’ve discussed this.” Krolia’s voice was firm. “It could put your entire civilisation in jeopardy.”_

_Sad eyes turned towards her. “Does this mean you're gonna try to contact your people and continue your mission?”_

_“My ship being destroyed was the best thing that ever happened to me,” she said. “I wouldn’t go back even if I could.”_

_She walked up to Keith’s dad and stood beside him. “I have a new mission now. I’m going to stay here and protect the Blue Lion.”_

_His dad reached for her hand. “I want to help.”_

The light passed once more, and Keith again found himself in the present. He turned to his mother. “You were stuck on Earth.”

She looked at him intently. “There was no better place I could be.”

**************************************

Lance flopped on a couch in the lounge, letting out melancholy sighs every few seconds. It was beginning to get on your nerves.

“Lance, sweetie, why don’t you try telling me what’s wrong? Maybe I can help.” Or at least it would stop that infernal sighing.

“Can’t a man sulk in peace?” he whined.

“No.”

He sighed again. “I’m pathetic. I used to make fun of people who got their hearts broken. Heck, I was the one breaking hearts!”

You quirked an eyebrow at this pronouncement, and he slumped even further. “I guess I never knew what it meant to really like someone, the way I like Allura. Allura’s not like any other girl I’ve ever met before. Probably because she’s an alien, but still…”

“So, what exactly is it about Allura that you like so much?” you asked.

“She’s smart, courageous, and makes me want to be a better person.” He frowned. “That is so weird to say.”

“Well, why don’t you tell her that?”

“I can’t tell her how I feel!” he cried, as if the very idea was preposterous. “She wouldn’t take me seriously, anyway. I don’t have anything to offer. I’m just a boy from Cuba, not a space prince like Lotor.”

You cradled his face in your hands, forcing him to look at you. “Lance, you have so much to offer. You are brave, and loyal, and kind. You think of others before yourself, and you have the biggest heart of anyone I know. Any girl would be lucky to have a guy like you be in love with them.”

“Any girl except Allura or you, apparently,” he muttered somewhat mutinously.

“Lance, if I wasn’t life-bonded to Keith, I could do a lot worse than end up with you.”

“You’re just saying that because you’re my best friend,” he moped.

“I’m saying it because it’s true. I’d rather have someone genuine like you care about me than a million smarmy, good-for-nothing snake-charmers like Lotor, that’s for sure. I don’t trust him as far as I could spit.”

“Neither do I.”

“Besides,” you added. “Just because Keith’s not here, it doesn’t mean you have to take over his role as the number one angst-riddled teen. So just go back to being your usual cheerful self, okay? Allura will realise who is the better man before too long.”

“I hope so.” Lance leaned his head on your shoulder, feeling slightly better that even though his love for the princess was so far unrequited, at least you still thought he was worth something.

**************************************

Keith and Krolia continued to leap through the Quantum Abyss. After what felt like an eternity, Keith fell to his knees. “At the rate we’re going, it’s gonna take us a lifetime to reach the end,” he panted.

Krolia stared at him. “We have to keep moving, however long it takes.”

“Without food and water, we’re never gonna make it,” Keith objected. “We have to come up with another plan.”

Suddenly, the rock on which they stood began shaking violently. As they watched, what appeared to be a pair of whale-like creatures floated past. It looked like a mother with her calf. The space-whales had what seemed like entire ecosystems on their backs - mountains, trees, lush vegetation.

Keith stared at them in wonder. “Woah. What are those things?”

“I don’t know,” replied Krolia. “But whatever they are, these creatures seem to know their way through the Quantum Abyss without being drawn into the space-time drop-offs.”

“Amazing.” Keith suddenly wished that you were here with him to witness this sight. Even though it was dangerous, even deadly, he knew you would appreciate the beauty in these creatures. He felt a sudden pang, realising how much he missed you. It had been months since he’d last touched you, or heard your laughter, or seen your face, and the life-bond ached with the distance between you.

Another light flash pulled him from his reverie, and Keith braced himself yet again.

_This time, he found himself in his shack, watching as Krolia fed the infant version of him while his father looked on._

_Suddenly, Krolia’s Marmora blade flashed._

_Looking out the bedroom window, bright purple flashes of light could be seen streaking towards the Earth._

_“They’re scouts,” growled Krolia. “They must have picked up the Blue Lion’s signal. We need to stop them before they report back to their command.”_

_“What’s the plan?” asked his dad._

_Krolia brought out a bag of explosives. They wouldn’t be strong enough to destroy a Galra fighter, but they could possibly do enough damage to prevent them from taking off and reporting back to Galra High Command._

_Keith’s dad took the explosives, and Krolia gave him the detonator. As he prepared to carry out his part of the plan, he asked, “What will you be doing?”  
_

_Her gaze grew deadly. “I’m going to find out what the scouts know, and get rid of them.”_

_Keith’s father planted the explosives. Just as he was running toward the final target, a Galra sniper shot him. He fell with a cry, dropping the detonator._

_Krolia, meanwhile, had entered the cave where the Blue Lion sat, and attacked the Galra who were there trying to break through the shield. She slashed with her dagger, her fighting style remarkably similar to Keith’s own technique._

_The sound of a blaster cocking made her pause. The Galra sniper aimed at her. “I caught her sneaking in. She was with the primitive who was setting explosives on our ships. He’s been neutralised.”_

_“No,” Krolia gasped in horror. She warred with herself, as she struggled not to attack the sniper. Finally, in defeat, she surrendered._

_As the sniper prepared to fire, she suddenly dropped to her knees, flinging her blade at the sniper rifle and disabling it. She then attacked the other Galra hand to hand, breathtaking in her ferocity. She chased after the sniper, who managed to make it to his ship. She watched with dismay as the jet took off._

_Just as she gave up hope, the jet exploded. In shock, she looked down into the ravine below to find Keith’s father holding the detonator button. Having achieved his goal, he fainted._

_The next scene was of Keith’s father, arm in a sling, trying to persuade Krolia not to leave. “I thought you’d seen enough war.”_

_“If they found the Blue Lion once, they’ll find it again. I need to report back to the Blades and stop the Galra from the inside.” She placed a hand on top of his father’s as she looked down sadly at her sleeping son. “I’m sorry, but this is the best way for me to keep you both safe.”_

_She pressed a tender kiss to Keith’s cheek, before holding out her dagger. “This is for Keith. He may need it some day.”_

Keith watched as Krolia left Earth, and suddenly he was back in the present. He turned to his mother, a multitude of emotions flickering across his face. “I finally understand why you left. You put the mission above all else.”

“That’s not true,” she denied. “I left to protect the person I most love. You.”

Another space-whale flew past. Krolia turned to Keith. “We have to get on that thing’s back. It might be our best chance.”

Without waiting to see if he would follow, she launched herself at the passing space-whale, landing on its back. Keith was close on her heels, leaping towards the creature with all of his strength and landing with a thud.

“We made it,” he whispered. “Will this thing really take us through the Abyss?”

“We’re about to find out.”

**************************************

Krolia studied the plants growing on the back of the creature. “It’s creating its own atmosphere,” she said, her voice full of awe.

Keith removed his mask, relieved that he could breathe freely. Krolia likewise removed her helmet. They explored their strange new world as the creature moved through the Quantum Abyss.

They discovered which plants were edible, and which animals were easy to hunt. Keith found himself rescuing a space-wolf cub that was under attack from a large insect-like creature, and adopted the animal. It gladly followed him, happy to sleep curled up beside him, or share his dinner, and he discovered that it could teleport from one place and reappear in another at will. The wolf did not, however, appear to understand the concept of fetch, to Keith’s immense disappointment.

Season after season, they survived on the back of the whale as it travelled through the Abyss. Eventually, Krolia said the words Keith had been longing to hear. “Keith, I think we’ve made it.”

He stood up, his relief evident. “It’s been two years. We can finally finish our mission.”

He could finally see you again.

**************************************

The space-whale appeared to go through a tunnel of light, and when it came out the other side there was a large celestial body in front of it.

“Look! A planet,” Keith cried excitedly.

“I’m picking up some readings,” Krolia said as she looked at her wrist scanner. “Similar to those of the Quintessence Ranveig found.”

They landed on the planet and found themselves staring at what appeared to be a Galra facility of some sort.

“This is the source of the readings,” Krolia said. “Let’s go check it out.”

They broke through the building’s doors, and suddenly found themselves in what appeared to be a large field full of flowers. It seemed to be a holodeck of some sort, similar to the one on the Castle that Allura used when she needed a reminder of her home on Altea.

“What is this place?” asked Keith.

They wandered through the forest, searching for signs of life, when suddenly they heard someone humming. Walking cautiously, they stopped behind a large tree. Keith peeked around the trunk and found himself staring at a blonde girl, washing clothes in the river.

She seemed to sense their presence, for she turned around with a gasp, and Keith noticed the markings on her face.

“An Altean!”

It seemed that Allura and Coran weren’t the last Alteans alive, after all.


	9. I Don't Need To Roll A 20, I'm Naturally This Charismatic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the team takes a break to play a magical role-playing game, their fantasy world sparks useful ideas to help them solve real-world problems in order to repair the Castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place during Series 6, Episode 3: “Monsters and Mana” – aka my favourite Voltron episode of all time.

You ran as fast as your feet could carry you, unable to see through the dense fog, and hoping desperately that you didn’t trip over anything. You paused, listening, and for a brief moment you thought you had outrun your enemy.

A loud roar proved your hope to be in vain.

The ogre leaped, landing with a loud thump only a few feet away.

“Get behind me!” Hunk cried. Raising his staff aloft, he yelled. “Seal of Protection!”

The spell worked for only a few seconds, before the ogre managed to smash through the protective ward with his club.

“Hit it with your lightning bolt!” Pidge suggested.

Hunk twirled his staff with a flourish, then yelled, “Lightning bolt!”

A pathetic spark of light flew slowly past the ogre’s head, singeing its hair with a hiss. The ogre grinned down evilly at you, and the three of you gave a simultaneous yell and then ran screaming down the hill. The ogre trundled after you, swinging its club at you as it ran.

“You call that a lightning bolt?” Pidge screeched.

“If you’re the only remaining hope for your village, they’re doomed!” you added, racing past Pidge.

“I’m a healer, not a fighter!” Hunk panted. He fell further and further behind, and eventually decided that flying was a better solution than running. Changing his staff into a broom, he flew past Pidge, picking her up and depositing her behind him as he flew after you.

The ogre blew several notes on the stone horn around his neck.

“Oh, no!” Pidge cried. “That’s the Song of Eternal Slumber! Cast Protection From Sleep on yourself!”

You immediately began playing a merry tune on your flute in an attempt to drown out the ogre’s sleep spell. The Good Morning Song might not be able to entirely counteract its effects, but hopefully it would prevent you from falling too deeply into Eternal Slumber.

Hunk, however, had already started to succumb to the ogre’s song, yawning violently. He blinked sleepily at Pidge. “How come you don’t need it?”

“I’m a Dwarf!”

Hunk immediately fell asleep and was now snoring merrily. His broom flew erratically, heading back towards the ogre.

You looked over your shoulder and found your team-mates travelling in the wrong direction. “Oh, for the Goddess’s sake!”

Turning around, you ran back towards the ogre, playing a much faster melody. It was a lively jig, designed to make the listener dance, regardless of whether they wished to or not. It was a long shot, but there wasn’t much else apart from the Happy Feet spell that was effective against an ogre’s sleep spell.

Hunk, now hanging upside down, fell face first into the dirt, still snoring blissfully.

With a yell, Pidge leapt at the ogre, who was distracted by your tune and was now shuffling its feet awkwardly with an expression of utter confusion on its ugly face. She smashed the stone around the ogre’s neck, and tumbled to the ground. The ogre was about to smash her with its club in retaliation when it was pulled up short.

Hunk had awoken, and had wrapped the ogre in a magical rope. With another yell, Pidge leapt once more, hitting its hand with her axe and causing the ogre to punch itself in the face. It fell to the ground with a sound remarkably like a tree crashing, unconscious.

Suddenly, a bright green shard appeared in front of you.

“Look, it’s a crystal!” Hunk breathed.

“Weird,” Pidge said, examining the shard with a frown. “I’ve never seen an ogre drop a crystal like this.”

“Let’s take it back to the innkeeper and find out where this ogre got it,” you suggested, grabbing the crystal and placing it in your bag. If nothing else, you were sure it would make for a fine tale to tell on your travels.

“Aw, man, come on! That’s way on the other side of the Weebian Swamps,” groaned Hunk. “You know how scary and gross those are? Very, _very_ scary and gross.”

“Of course I do. I wrote a song about how scary and gross they are!”

“Come on, you big baby,” Pidge said. “Your village got turned to stone. Do you want to save them or not?”

“Well, you know, they’re not going anywhere,” Hunk said. As you and Pidge continued walking towards the village, he sighed. “Fine, fine, but I’m not fighting any ghosts this time. I’m just running.”

Hunk complained the entire time you trekked through the swamp, and didn’t cease until you reached the edge of the village. He perked up instantly when he saw the sign for the inn. “You hungry?”

“We don’t have any money, Hunk. We’re just going to meet the innkeeper and leave,” you said.

“Aw, man. I would not have run so hard if I didn’t think there might be food.”

You rolled your eyes. “Fine.”

The three of you entered the inn, and all chatter ceased immediately. Every pair of eyes settled upon you, and the majority of them didn’t seem friendly. Hunk muttered that the atmosphere didn’t seem as cordial as the last time you had visited the inn.

Sidling up to the counter, Pidge produced a shiny coin, which she had obtained after smashing several ceramic pots in the inn. “A greasy meat pile for my friend, please.”

“One health plate coming up,” said the innkeeper. It looked very much like a gigantic version of Coran in drag. Placing the plate in front of you, the innkeeper said, “Oh, it’s you three. Did you find any clues?”

“We found a crystal, just like you thought we might,” you told him, producing the bright green shard you’d found.

The innkeeper’s eyes narrowed. “Just as I feared. Those ogres are mercenaries. They’ll fight for anyone that has crystals. The only person that uses this type is the evil wizard, Daikin.”

Hunk stopped mid-chew. “Evil wizard? That doesn’t sound good.”

“It isn’t,” the innkeeper confirmed. “Though I admit I should have suspected him. There aren’t many wizards powerful enough to turn an entire village to stone.”

“How do we save them?” asked Pidge.

“You’ll have to defeat Daikin. He’s inside Carthian’s Lair, a tomb so filled with monsters, traps and terrors that most heroes would be driven insane at the mere thought of entering.”

“Well, maybe those villagers liked being turned to stone,” Hunk said, seeming unenthused at the prospect of entering such a dangerous realm. Pidge punched him.

“So where do we find this tomb of horrors?” Your voice was filled with excitement. This would definitely make for a spine-tingling tale to spin the next time you needed to entertain a crowd

The innkeeper leant close to you. “Just inside the Faldacor Mountains.”

“The Faldacor Mountains, you say?” a new voice said. All of you turned to the source of the voice, seated in a darkened corner of the inn. “You three think you have what it takes to smite evil?”

Pidge blinked several times. “Who are you?”

“Me? My name is Takashi Shirogane. I’m a Paladin. And you?”

Sitting down at the stranger’s table, Hunk said, “I’m Block, a Sorcerer.”

“Name’s Meklavarr, best axe fighter in three lands,” boasted Pidge.

“I’m Eligwynn, a Bard,” you said. “We’re on a quest to break the curse put on Block’s town. The villagers were turned to stone by Daikin. What’s _your_ story?”

You were always eager for new tales, and this mysterious stranger seemed the type to have a heroic deed or two in his background.

“I’m on my own adventure.” The Paladin pulled back his hood, revealing a handsome young man only a few years older than yourselves, the scar across his nose the only blemish marring his features. His chestnut hair was adorned by a silver circlet with a large white gem in the centre. “From a young age, I was chosen to be a Paladin because of my bright, internal light.”

He monologued for several minutes about how his master had trained him in the Seven Pillars of Light, forging the young man’s mind and body in order for him to become a shield for good and a weapon against evil. Before his training was completed, however, his master was killed by a Leviathan Demon. Shiro was now on his way to slay said Demon and finalise his training.

A single shiny tear fell down his cheek as he finished his story, and he manfully wiped it away.

Shiro opened his eyes to find the three of you leaving the inn, although you seemed reluctant as the other two pulled you away. “Where are you going?” he cried.

“Sounds like you’re too busy to help with this quest, dude,” said Hunk.

“Good luck with the Leviathan!” Pidge called back cheerfully.

“Tell me all about how you slayed the beast when next we meet! I’d love to write a ballad about it!” you sang out as Hunk dragged you out the door.

“Man, that guy was sooooo boring,” muttered Hunk.

“But his adventures would make for a brilliant epic,” you said wistfully.

“Wait!” Footsteps sounded behind you, and you turned to find Shiro running after you. When he joined you, he stood straight and proud, although slightly out of breath. “As a Paladin, I swore an oath to vanquish evil. I cannot deny the righteousness of your quest. I will help you defeat the wizard, and then return to my hunt for the demon that destroyed my master.”  
  
He seemed to sparkle for a moment, which you were definitely going to include in your next heroic ballad.

Suddenly the ground shook. A giant rat appeared, climbing over the inn. It sniffed the air several times, before focussing on the very spot where your little group was standing.

With a yell, you, Hunk and Pidge ran down the road leading away from the inn. However, your newest companion was not fast enough, and was mercilessly devoured by the ravenous beast.

“No! Shiro’s dead!” wailed Pidge, as the Paladin’s quest came to a grisly end.

**************************************

Shiro looked down in disgust at Platt, the fat space mouse, who was busily chewing on his game piece. “Did I really die in the game?”

Coran shooed the space mice away from the playing board. “Yes.”  
  
“But that doesn’t make any sense! The mice aren’t playing the game,” protested Shiro. It appeared that your team leader was a bit of a sore loser.

“Don’t worry,” Coran assured him. “You can just make a new character.”

Shiro grabbed the game piece back. “I’m going to be a Paladin again.”

Coran scoffed. “Oh, come on now, do you really want to play a Paladin? I mean, you could be something completely different. A Maven, a Mage, a Cleric, a Klazgul, a Bard…”

“We already have a Bard!” you reminded him testily, not wanting to share the role of teller of tall tales and have someone possibly steal your thunder.

Shiro crossed his arms in front of his chest stubbornly. “I don’t know what’s more fulfilling than being a Paladin.”

“But you’re already a Paladin in real life!”

Allura and Lance entered the lounge with concerned looks on their faces. Allura asked, “Is everything all right? We heard yelling.”

“We’re all good,” you told them with a smile.

Lance tilted his head to the side. “What’s going on in here?”

“We’re playing _Monsters and Mana_ ,” Coran replied.

“Monsters and huh?”

Coran held up the Lore Master’s book. “It’s a game.”

“It’s fun!” Pidge said.

Lance peered at the book suspiciously. “I don’t know. How can a game that needs a book be fun?”

“You ought to read it and find out,” Coran told him.

“Nah,” Lance said dismissively.

“I’ve been playing _Monsters and Mana_ since I was a boy,” Coran said proudly. “My bandmates and I, the Pirate Polycoral, used to play it all the time. I was always the Lore Master.”

“So, how do you play?” Allura’s tone was curious, as she inspected the game board.

Coran sat next to her excitedly. “Okay, so every player creates a fantastical character. The character is represented by a figurine on this holomap to help them track their action. But the real fun happens in the mind. Each player gets a turn, and every turn they say what they want to do. The Lore Master, me, knows the difficulty of the task. The person must roll a twenty-sided die to see if they can accomplish their action.”

Lance’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. “A twenty-sided dice? How big is that thing?”

“It’s normal-sized. It just has twenty sides,” Pidge deadpanned.

“No, no, no, no! It’s got twenty sides. It’s got to be the size of a Yalaxian pearl!” Lance insisted.

Coran held out the die, confirming that it was indeed normal-sized with twenty sides. Lance’s expression was crestfallen.

“Do you want to play?” Coran asked, his tone indicating that he wasn’t really going to take ‘No’ for an answer.

“Don’t you guys have something better to do right now?” asked Lance, not wanting to be sucked into what was quite obviously a nerd game. “Like, I don’t know, universe-defending stuff?”

“Hunk and I ran into a snag upgrading the Castle’s shields,” Pidge told him. “We’re running a diagnostic, but all we can do is wait.”

Shiro said, “I’m trying to take a mental break. We’ve been going really hard lately.”

“I’ve run out of books to read,” you added. You didn’t mention that you were also trying to take your mind off the fact that you hadn’t been able to contact Keith in nearly a month.

You hadn’t heard from Keith since the Kral Zera, when he’d told you that he had to go on a solo mission for the Blades. The two of you had been working to repair your relationship, rebuilding the trust you had in each other, and reassuring one another of your love. But it had been radio silence from his end for the past few weeks, despite your attempts to contact him, and you were beginning to worry.

Allura smiled brightly. “I’ll play. Lotor’s busy handling his Imperial responsibilities, and I’m at an impasse with the comet-ship. Plus, it sounds fun.”

Lance suddenly seemed to be interested in the game. “Yeah, I’ve already worked out today so I don’t have anything going on. Might as well play your little nerd game.”

Coran handed them both data cards. “Here you go. Create your characters with the interface loaded onto these. It’ll keep track of your stats.”

Once they had done as instructed, Coran rubbed his hands together. “Now it’s time to begin the heroes’ journey.”

**************************************

Your team was wandering through the forest, when Pidge suddenly called you to a halt. You looked around, trying to find the source of her unease, when she yelled, “Look out!”

Each of you dove in a different direction as an arrow was loosed in the midst of where you had been standing just a second earlier. The arrow struck a shroom-flower that had sprung up behind you, killing it and instantly revealing a bag of coin.

Looking up into the trees, you saw an Elf staring back at you. She jumped down from the branch upon which she stood, landing more heavily than she intended and thus losing several health points. However, she stood straight and proud.

“I’m the Mystical Archer of Valley Yuun, searching for the Runestone of Latham.” With a grin, Allura asked cheerfully, “What quest are _you_ on?”

“Block’s town was turned to stone by an evil wizard,” Pidge explained. “We tracked him down through his special crystals.”

Something exploded behind you, and you turned to find yourselves staring at a strange creature with fox-like ears and a mouse-like tail. In his hands was the coin pouch that had been dropped by the shroom-flower.

“Woah! Where did you come from?” Hunk asked in shock.

“The name’s Pyke. I was going to rob you clodhoppers of your junk, but it sounds like the bigger score is helping you jack this wizard with the crystals.”

You looked unimpressed. “So you chose a Thief.”  
  
Lance was indignant. “I’m not a Thief! I’m a ninja assassin! A silent killer.”

He disappeared in a puff of smoke, only to reappear directly behind you. He draped a friendly arm around your shoulder. “My victims never know I’m coming, because I don’t say a word. They look around and they don’t see anything, so they drop their guard. But what they don’t realise…”

_Poof!_ He disappeared once more. His voice came from the trees, mocking you with his singsong tone. “… is that I’m lurking in the shadows, silently watching! Hahahahahahaha!”

Suddenly he was crouching behind you once again, still cackling to himself.

“Yeah, you’re very quiet,” Shiro deadpanned.

Lance looked up from the coins he was clinking into his palm. “But I _do_ steal things. In fact, that’s a lot of what my character does!”

_Poof!_ He crouched down next to Pidge. “You’re a Dwarf, huh?”

“Yeah! I’m Meklavarr, a Dwarven miner whose precious family heirloom, the Jewel of Jatann, was stolen. I’m on a quest to retrieve it.”

“Precious family heirloom,” Lance muttered to himself, practically drooling at the thought of such riches.

“And I’m Eligwynn, a Bard, travelling on my way to the mythical land of Algonquin. I hear there has been a spell cast over the entire village that has robbed them of the ability to smile. I’m hoping to remedy that with my rousing tunes and swashbuckling tales of adventure,” you told your new comrades.

“Well, it’s very fortunate that I arrived here,” said Allura. “I can aid you on your quest. I’ll summon a mount.”

She fired an arrow, summoning a magnificent winged creature which reminded you of a Hippogriff. You jotted down some notes, knowing this would make a rousing tale to enchant little ones at the next town you visited.

The six of you whooped with delight as the creature soared towards the wizard’s lair.

As you stood in front of the dark tomb, Hunk asked, “Did anybody remember to bring torches?”

**************************************

Shiro looked disgusted. “I really think my character would have remembered to bring a torch.”

“Oh yeah? Why don’t you check your little inventory there?” Coran looked over Shiro’s card, before smirking. “Oh, no torches, eh? Then I guess you forgot to bring them.”

Shiro pouted.

Allura gasped. “Oh, I have something!”

**************************************

The silver arrow shone brighter than any torch, it’s light chasing away the darkness as you wandered through the echoing hallways of the wizard’s domain.

You came to a sudden halt at a wall of solid rock.

“It’s just a wall.” Hunk frowned. “But this is where we’re supposed to go, right?”

Pidge walked up to the wall and inspected it. “Maybe there’s a secret here.”

“Maybe you just have to knock,” Lance said facetiously, reminding you of how he’d bonded with the Blue Lion when you’d found it on Earth. He did exactly that, and a light shone brightly, revealing a secret door. He grinned. “What can I say? I’m good at puzzles and junk.”

He reached for the door handles, but Pidge stopped him. “Wait! There could be traps. You have to check for them.”

“Why do _I_ have to check for ‘em?”

You rolled your eyes. “Because you’re the Thief. You’re the only one in the group with that skill.”

“How do I even check for traps?” Lance asked.

**************************************

“You roll a twenty-sided die, adding your ‘Check for traps’ skill to the roll,” Coran explained. “If it’s high enough, you’ll remove the trap.”

“And what if it’s too low?” Lance asked, almost afraid of the answer.

Coran giggled. “ _You_ activate the trap!”

Lance blinked, then reached for the die.

**************************************

“Oh, man!” As Lance reached for the door handles, his hands were caught in a trap. The floor beneath your feet crumbled, and all of you plummeted several stories towards a floor covered in sharp stakes.

“Levitation!” Hunk cried, casting the spell in desperation as the rest of you screamed in terror.

Miraculously, the chickens he summoned flapped their wings ferociously enough that you all managed to land safely.

Fighting your way through several monsters and traps – each level seemed to contain a threat more terrifying than the last – you finally found yourselves staring into a large room full of gold and jewels.

“Oh, man! Look at all this treasure!” Hunk cried happily.

Pidge whispered reverently, “It’s our reward for getting past all those traps!”

“This is more like it!” Lance crowed, ready to roll in his new found wealth. “We fall for traps all the time in real life and we _never_ get treasure!”

Allura picked up an elaborately decorated quiver. “Wow! A Quick-draw Quiver with a magical Creature Summoning Arrow!”

“Oh, sweet!” Pidge picked up a pair of golden gloves. “Gloves of Transmutation! These bad boys can transmogrify the elemental matter of _any_ inanimate object!”

“Awesome! And I got an invisibility cloak!” Lance declared, swishing his cloak with a flourish.

“A harp that lures any evil creature that hears its tune to follow wherever I lead!” you swooned, raising the lovely instrument. “This is even better than my spell-reversing flute!”

Hunk’s eyes filled with happy tears. “A bowl that is never empty of food. Our days of vandalising innkeeper’s vases are over!”

Shiro raised an enormous sword, which immediately burst into flame as he held it aloft. “Wow! A blazing sword! Hey, guys, check this…”

He was immediately struck by a blast of crimson lightning, disintegrating and leaving behind only the flaming sword and his silver circlet.

An evil laugh was heard throughout the treasure room. “Fools!”

“Heeeeey, innkeeper,” said Hunk warily. “What are you doing here?”

“Ha ha ha, you dum-dums!” cackled the innkeeper. “I only run the inn to trick foolish adventurers into gathering valuable crystals for me! Thank you for bringing them directly to my lair!”

“Who is this guy?” queried Lance.

“So you’re Daikin?” Hunk asked.

Pidge raised an angry fist. “You were behind this all along!”

You smacked your head. “I should have known! This is just like the Tale of the Foolish Prince, who completed noble quests only to find that he had been tricked into killing the enemies of his trusted advisor, the wizard, in the hopes that the prince would be killed so that the wizard could steal the throne for himself!”

“Ha ha ha! This is where your adventure ends!” The innkeeper turned into an evil little sprite who shot bolts of crimson lightning at you from his hands.

The treasure disappeared, but in a blaze of white light, Shiro reappeared. Holding aloft the blazing sword, he declared, “I’m Shiro’s twin brother… Shiro! Here to complete Shiro’s quest!”

Pidge groaned. “A Paladin _again?”_

“Only fools would enter my tomb of horrors!” said the wizard. “I am the most powerful wizard in all of Orrita!”

“Oh, yeah? Well, we don’t care! We’re here to turn my village back from stone, man!” Hunk told him.

“Your quest is in vain,” intoned the wizard. “I’ve already siphoned off their life force. You will have to permanently defeat me in order to restore it. But instead, I will become the most powerful being in all of the plain!”

He threw a fireball at you, but Shiro blocked it with his shield.

“I’m going to evaporate you! Just like I did with your twin brother!” the wizard shrieked, hurling fireball after fireball at your party.

Each of you attacked the wizard, firing arrows, hurling axes, casting spells and anything else you could think of to defeat your adversary.

Pidge was felled by a lightning bolt, but Allura shot her in the butt with a healing arrow and she was able to return to the fight.

Hunk quelled the wizard’s fireballs by dousing him with a water spout. Just as the wizard retaliated, Lance grabbed Hunk and teleported him to another part of the room, safe from the fireball that had just been hurled at him.

Hunk then hit Pidge with an enlarging spell, which increased her size from diminutive to gigantic. She struck at the wizard with her axe, smashing him into the ground.

You congratulated each other on defeating your enemy, and Lance hoped that Hunk’s village would reward your bravery with cold, hard cash.

“Wow, this game is so amazing!” gushed Shiro. “It requires problem-solving, team work, creativity – all the skills that you’d want to imbue when doing team-building exercises!”

Lance whirled on him in outrage. “Stop trying to ruin our fun with learning!”

The victory was shortlived, as the wizard reanimated, this time as a dragon. “Fools! You did exactly as I planned! Only by being slain by six pure of heart on this evil altar could I become the all-powerful Corannic dragon!”

“We aren’t powerful enough to defeat a dragon!” Pidge wailed. “Much less a Corannic one!”

The dragon attacked, smiting each of you with powerful tail and deadly talons. Despite your best efforts, you were all battered and bruised, without seeming to cause any damage to the beast.

“I’m low on mana! I can’t cast any of my big spells!” Hunk groaned.

“I only have one summoning arrow left!” Allura announced.

Shiro told all of you to fall back so he could draw its attack, but he was tossed aside as if he was a rag doll.

“We’ll never defeat it without a plan!” yelled Hunk.

You had a sudden flash of inspiration. “Secret!” you yelled.

**************************************

The six of you huddled in a circle, whispering your ideas to each other. Some were agreed to readily, others dismissed in favour of better suggestions as you formulated your plan.

You glared over your shoulder at Coran, who was trying to eavesdrop on your conversation. “Hey, I cast Secret. You can’t listen to us!”

He pouted.

You looked at the others. “Got it?”

With identical grins, the other five nodded at you. “Secret received!”

**************************************

Lance waved his arms frantically, calling out to the dragon as he tried to distract it from what the rest of you were doing. Just as the dragon was about to smash him, he covered himself with his invisibility cloak and teleported to another spot, poking his tongue out and daring the dragon to come and get him. Each time the dragon came near, he popped out of sight only to reappear somewhere else.

Meanwhile, Hunk was pulling out numerous foodstuffs from his never-emptying bowl. Pidge then put on her Gloves of Transmutation and touched every piece of food, turning them into puddles of oil.

You began playing your harp, and the dragon immediately turned away from Lance to follow you, failing to notice that you were leading him on a merry dance directly toward the oily puddles on the ground.

Allura fired her summoning arrow, calling forth a winged creature that had a mermaid’s tail. Shiro jumped onto the creature’s back, his sword blazing. He touched the blade to the oil puddles and they burst into flame, burning the dragon to ash.

You had defeated the evil creature once and for all, and all of you whooped for joy.

**************************************

“So much fun!” squealed Allura, giggling like a child.

“Too much fun.” Hunk turned to Pidge. “Great idea to transmute that food into oil.”

“Yeah,” she laughed. “If only we could transmute the particle barrier’s polarity.”

Hunk rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Yeah, to do that you’d need some sort of quantum-shift network to simulate a collapse of the wave pocket into a darkening perplexity.”

“Yeah, and that would be impossible without…” Pidge paused.

“Changing the Planck constant!” they cried simultaneously. The two of them ran off to resolve their problem.

Lance rolled his eyes. “Somehow I understand the fantasy words better than the science ones.”

“I can’t get over how great that game was,” Shiro said to Coran. “And my head feels so much better. Thanks, Coran.”

He did seem much more relaxed than you’d seen him for a while, which pleased you. He seemed more like the Shiro of old.

“The game isn’t over yet,” Coran told him. “Wait ‘til you find out who Daikin was working for. Maybe you’ll finally be able to avenge your master!”

Shiro looked at him with amusement. “How can you have an adventure ready to avenge my master? I just made that story up.”

“I also made it all up, Shiro,” Coran said with a wink. “That’s the real magic of _Monsters and Mana.”_

“That was incredible,” Allura said happily. “It’s crazy how long we’ve been playing. It seemed like no time at all.”

Lance smiled at her. “Yeah. We have a pretty good time together, don’t we?”

“We sure do,” she smiled.

You mentally cheered. It looked like Lance might finally be about to tell the princess of his feelings for her, and perhaps she might even reciprocate.

Unfortunately, Lotor chose that exact moment to ask the princess to join him so they could test the comet-ship, and she raced off to meet him.

Lance sighed, and you patted his hand consolingly. Love wasn’t easy, even for a Paladin of Voltron. You knew that from experience.

“So, who wants to play another round?” Coran asked hopefully.

“Why not,” you said, eager to continue anything that would keep you from moping about Keith’s prolonged absence.

“Sure, count me in,” Lance said in a monotone, clearly not enthusiastic about it now that Allura was no longer playing.

Shiro moved his game piece to the middle of the holomap. “I want to be a Paladin again.”  
  
Coran’s anguished yells of frustration could be heard throughout the Castle.


	10. Heroes and Villains, We're All Somewhere In Between

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lotor and Allura head into the Quintessence field to test the new ship they’ve built, while Keith returns with a dire warning – and a few surprises - that could change everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place during the events of Series 6, Episode 4 “The Colony”.

The Castleship flew towards the ruined remains of the Galra home world, Daibazaal. Allura and Lotor had completed their work on the Emperor’s Sincline ships, and were hoping to successfully enter the Quintessence field with it.

The rest of the team watched on the vid-screens as they prepped the ship for takeoff.

“Beginning system check,” Lotor advised. “Front and rear stabilisers?”

Allura pressed a few buttons. “Front and rear stabilisers are go.”

“Quintessence collection array?”

“Quintessence collection array is go,” she confirmed.

Lotor continued to call out each system on the ship, and Allura advised that they were operational as expected. The mega-thrusters were engaged, and the ship hummed to life as it prepared to leave the hangar.

“Okay, I can’t be the only one who sees that this is nuts, right?” Hunk asked. “I mean, just getting in there is a long shot, and then they have to make it out again?”  
  
“I agree with Hunk,” Coran said immediately. “This plan is a foolhardy and unnecessary risk.”

“I dunno,” muttered Pidge. “I mean, we’ve travelled through the Quintessence field to another reality. This isn’t just theoretical physics. Mathematically we know it’s possible.”

“That doesn’t make it sensible,” you interjected.

“It _is_ hard to argue with math, though,” Coran mused. “Believe me, I’ve tried.”

Lance’s voice was filled with worry. “But even if they _do_ reach the Quintessence field, then what? The last time anyone got in there, it turned Zarkon evil.”

“Lance makes a fine point! Take that, math!” cried Coran.

“Zarkon fell prey to his own evil instincts,” Shiro said. “The Quintessence field didn’t create them. It revealed them.”

The Sincline ship shot out of the hangar towards Daibazaal, and the trans-reality gate that would lead them to the rift where the Quintessence field was located.

Just as the ship was about to disappear from view, Lance called out. “Allura!”

“Yes, Lance?”

The Blue Paladin rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly shy. “Get back safe.”

The princess smiled. “I will.”

Coran counted down to the moment the Sincline ship entered the gate, and Allura and Lotor disappeared into the rift. Coran sighed as contact was lost.

**************************************

An alarm began blaring, and Coran hurried to the console.

“What the heck is that?” asked Hunk, noting the ship heading towards the Castle.

“I’ve got an incoming craft,” Coran replied.

Shiro commanded, “Shields up, and pull it up on-screen.”

Coran did as requested, and all of you gasped at the familiar-looking vehicle. “That – that can’t be! It’s an Altean pod! A really old one!”

“What’s it doing out here?” Lance asked curiously.

“Let’s find out,” Shiro replied. He opened a hailing frequency. “Attention, Altean pod. Identify yourself.”

You felt a strange sensation, almost as if you were coming home. Which was ridiculous, because you hadn’t gone anywhere. Unless…

A familiar face popped up on the vid-screen. “Shiro, it’s Keith.”

“Keith! Are you okay?” Shiro’s surprise was evident.

“Where have you been?” Pidge demanded.

“And how did you get your hands on that pod?” Coran asked.

“Does he look bigger to you guys?” Lance frowned. “He’s bigger, right?”

You couldn’t speak. You just stared at the face you had longed to see for weeks, too stunned to say anything. He was coming home, and you had no idea what to say to him. Your heart started hammering wildly, and you immediately starting fussing with your hair.

Good grief, you were a lovesick fool, and you didn’t care who knew it.

Keith’s face was grim. “Where’s Lotor?”

“He’s in the Quintessence field,” Hunk told him.

“Oh, no!” Keith growled. Without another word, he sped towards the Castle as fast as the transport pod could take him.

**************************************

All of you were waiting in the hangar when Keith landed the Altean transport pod. You hung back, standing slightly behind Shiro, suddenly feeling shy. Did your hair look okay? Would he notice it anyway? Had you remembered to brush your teeth this morning? You held a hand up to your mouth and discreetly checked your breath.

“Keith, it’s so good to see you!” Shiro said as Keith descended from the pilot’s seat.

Lance strode up to him, staring at him suspiciously as he discovered that Keith was actually at eye level with him now. “Hold on. How do we know you’re the real Keith and not his bigger, cooler, grizzled older brother?”

“I don’t have time for this, Lance!” Keith brushed past Lance impatiently.

“Hey, everybody, Keith’s back!” Lance announced, thoroughly convinced that it was indeed the Red Paladin who stood before him.

Keith walked up to the group, but before he could say anything further, he heard a soft voice that he’d only heard in his dreams over the past few weeks.

“Keith?” You stepped out from behind Shiro and took a tentative step towards him. “Is it really you?”

“Yeah, Y/N. It’s me.” He smiled, waiting for your embrace.

Instead, you punched him.

“What the _hell_ were you _thinking,_ trying to kill yourself just to save the rest of us from those Zaiforge cannons when we were attacking Naxzela?” you scolded.

Punch. “And then you disappear for _weeks_ at a time, only to get in touch to tell me that I’m supposed to fly to the Kral Zera with the other Paladins so that you don’t accidentally blow up Shiro!”

Another punch. “And _then_ you fly off into the sunset on yet another mission for the Blade of Marmora, and I hear _nothing_ from you for _weeks_ , and _now_ you stand here as if you’ve just returned from a vacation and I don’t know if I want to punch your stupid adorable face or kiss you!”

Keith solved your dilemma by pulling you to him and smashing his lips to yours. At first you tried to resist, the urge to punch him still being the dominant feeling, but after a few seconds you deepened the kiss, twining your fingers in his hair as you revelled in having him near once again. For a few brief moments, the two of you forgot about everything except each other, the world falling away as you renewed your love. Your life-bond sang, thrumming with satisfaction that you were both together once more.

The others looked around awkwardly, not knowing whether to leave the two of you alone or to remind you that they were present.

Eventually, though, Keith pulled away so he could actually catch his breath. Smiling as he rested his forehead against yours, he said, “I think I like Option Number Two better.”

Caressing his face, you whispered, “I’m not dreaming, am I? Tell me this isn’t a dream. You’re really here.”

He pressed a kiss to your nose. “Yep. I’m really here.”

You gazed at Keith’s face, frowning slightly when you realised that you had to stand on tiptoe to embrace him. “Are you taller? You seem taller than I remember.”

Lance threw his hands up in the air in disgust. “Did I _not_ just say that a minute ago?”

Keith ignored Lance as he answered, “We’ve just spent two years in the Quantum Abyss. That tends to change a person.”  
  
“Two years? What are you talking about? You’ve been gone for a little over three months.”

You took a good look at his face. Now that you really looked, his face _did_ seem to have matured somewhat; he’d lost some of the softness of youth, his jawline now more sharply defined. He was no longer the boy you remembered; standing before you now was a young man.

Your frown deepened as you finally registered something else he’d said. “And what do you mean, _we?”_

A new voice chimed in. “Time moves differently in the Quantum Abyss. What is a week in reality can be years within the Abyss. And he means that I was with him.”

Several pairs of eyes turned to stare with interest to the owner of the voice. The others gasped, while you just stared, dumbstruck.

A tall Galra female came and stood by Keith, smiling as she did so. Keith returned her smile with obvious affection. You stepped away from him and looked at the woman with dismay. It was evident that they were extremely fond of each other, and your heart sank.

He’d spent _two years_ with this woman? In the blink of an eye, the man you were life-bonded to had apparently thrown you over for some Galra floozy. A tall, intimidating, lethal, beautiful Galra floozy. How the quiznak were you supposed to compete with that, life-bond or not?

“And who are you, exactly?” You’d hoped for a neutral tone of voice, but the animosity was evident.

“I am Krolia,” she said, a familiar smirk on her face. God, it reminded you of Keith so much. Must be a Galra trait. She turned to look at Keith. “She’s feisty. I can see why you like her so much.”

“Babe, listen…” Keith started, but you held up a hand to stop him.  
  
“Nope. Not interested. Clearly, you and this woman got to know each other _very_ well while you were gone. Apparently absence does _not_ make the heart grow fonder.” You glared at him, while he returned your look with what could only be described as fond exasperation. How dare he be amused when you were trying to be mad at him!

“Y/N, it’s not like that,” he tried again.

You turned your back on him.

_‘Your possessive streak is showing.’_ His thought was tinged with amusement. ‘ _It’s adorable, but entirely misplaced.’_

_‘I am NOT possessive!’_ you threw back at him. ‘ _Why should I even care that you’ve decided to throw me over for some Galra woman who looks old enough to be your mother?’_

The amusement increased. You could _feel_ Keith’s grin. Jerk. ‘ _She IS my mother.’_

You turned around, the shock evident on your face. _‘What?’_

_‘Krolia is my mother.’_

_‘Oh.’_

You stared between your beloved and the woman who had apparently given birth to him. Looking at them now, standing side by side, you wondered how you had failed to notice the similarities between them straight away, although Krolia was a full head taller than Keith. The same wiry build, the shape of their face, those amazing violet-coloured eyes, the wry grins they both wore. Krolia even had the same ridiculous flippity fringe that your fingers always itched to push back out of her son’s face.

_Her son._

_‘Oh.’_ Very eloquent. Your face reddened with embarrassment.

Keith looked seriously at everyone, suddenly remembering the real reason why he was here. “We need to stop Lotor. He’s been lying to all of us!”

Shiro looked puzzled. “Lying about what?”

“Everything!” a strong voice rang out.

Everyone turned in surprise to find a pretty blonde girl standing behind him, hands clenched into fists and a fierce scowl on her face. Terrific. _Another_ attractive female. Keith had developed a habit of collecting them, it seemed.

“You’re an Altean!” Coran gasped.

“Is that a wolf?” Hunk asked, noting the large furry creature standing beside the girl.

“Where did you come from?” Coran asked the girl.

Keith said, “I promise I’ll explain everything once we get to Lotor.”

“We can’t get to him,” Pidge replied. “He just entered the Quintessence field with Allura.”

“We travelled through realities before,” Keith reminded the tiny Paladin. “Can’t we fly in there and attack?”

Lance stared at him. “She said _Allura’s_ with him. We can’t risk hurting her!”

Hunk added his own objections. “Why are we even attacking?”

“Keith, everyone, calm down,” Shiro pleaded. “When they return, we’ll get this all sorted out.”

Keith scowled, and you felt his anger through the life-bond. Whatever Lotor had done, it had enraged Keith. You wrapped your arms around his waist, and he held you close, calming down slightly at your touch. Now that he was back, you weren’t going to let him out of your sight for a single second.

“Lance is right, you _are_ different,” Shiro said.

Keith smiled at his friend. “Time is different where I’ve been.”

Krolia stepped forward, her hand extended. “Shiro? I am Krolia. Keith has told me all about you. Thank you for raising him to be the man he is today.”

“Krolia is with the Blade of Marmora,” Keith explained. “Also, she’s my mother.”

The team gasped at this revelation which you had learned of only moments before. Shiro smiled at the Galra woman. “It’s an honour to meet you.”

“ _WHAT?_ ” shrieked Lance. “Okay, this is nuts. You come back with your Galra mom, a wolf, and an Altean?”

“Yes, I’m still waiting to hear the story of how you found this Altean,” Coran pressed.

Hunk added, “And why we’re supposed to be attacking Lotor.”

Keith looked at the Altean girl. “This is Romelle. And I think she should tell her own story.”

Romelle looked down sadly as she spoke. “I come from a planet where there are thousands of Alteans. We have lived there since the war with Zarkon began.”

Coran’s eyes widened. “What? That’s impossible! Altea was destroyed. Allura and I were the only survivors.”

“Every Altean child knows the story of how Lotor saved us from destruction,” said Romelle. Her face hardened. “When Zarkon attacked, many were off-planet on trading expeditions.”

She began her tale, and as you listened, you found yourself wondering how any of you could have ever trusted the Galra prince.

**************************************

Romelle spoke of how, when the off-world Alteans had learnt of the destruction of their home planet, they had gone into hiding for deca-phoebs.

Lotor, due to his deep knowledge of Altean culture, managed to track many of them down. He convinced them that he meant no harm. Rather, he wished to preserve their history and culture, allowing them to thrive in the safe haven that he had created before the decimation of Altea. The planet was remote, beyond the Quantum Abyss. The Alteans were safe from Zarkon’s clutches, as only Lotor knew of its location.

Over time, the Alteans came to worship Lotor as their saviour.

After several generations, he announced that in order to increase the colony’s chances of survival, he wished to create another colony for them, far from the one they were on. In order to do so, they needed to undergo a series of tests in order to determine if they could be considered viable candidates to survive the long and arduous journey. Those deemed fit were loaded onto a cargo ship and taken to the second colony. The Alteans considered this to be the highest honour that Lotor could bestow upon them.

Communication with those travelling off-world was strictly forbidden, as it was feared that it would compromise the location of the second colony.

Romelle’s parents had been selected to join the new colony, and her younger brother Bandor also hoped to be chosen one day.

Only Romelle had objected to the notion.

Eventually, her brother had been deemed suitable for the second colony, and left immediately. She had tried to convince him to stay, but he was determined to leave for a better future. He left her with a communicator that he had made, and promised to see her again.

Romelle attempted numerous times to communicate with her brother, but the device he’d given her failed to work. Until one evening, many phoebs after he had left, it began beeping. She heard her brother’s voice on the other end; it was weak, as though he were dying.

He told her that he was in the forest outside of the town where they had lived, and Romelle raced there as fast as she could. She saw smoke on the horizon, and a hole in the particle barrier above her world, and ran in that direction until she came to a crashed transport pod. Inside, she found her brother. He was barely alive, merely a husk, as if the very life had been sucked out of him.

He whispered that the other colony Lotor had promised them was a lie, but died before he could explain any further.

Romelle fled as Galra sentries approached the pod, and was stunned to hear the voice of Prince Lotor commanding them to destroy all evidence that the pod had ever arrived back on the planet.

She knew the truth of what had happened, at least in part, but also knew that the other Alteans would not believe her unless she could find proof of Lotor’s deception. When Keith and Krolia had arrived, she knew that they could help her find that proof.

She explained to them what had happened to her brother and the other Alteans who had been taken before him; and after they had explained their own mission to her, the three oof them realised that there was a connection between the missing Alteans and the pure strain of Quintessence that the Blades had been searching for.

Keith surmised that due to her brother’s weakened state, he would have been unable to pilot a ship for very long, which meant that the colony couldn’t have been too great a distance from them. Krolia suggested a nearby moon might be suitable for a colony. They agreed to follow that lead, and Romelle took them to the building which housed the Altean transport pod.

They approached the moon, noticing that there was indeed some sort of settlement, although it seemed Galran in construction rather than Altean. Sneaking inside, they found themselves in what appeared to be a large warehouse, holding row after row of large glass containers.

To their horror, they found that within each container was an Altean, hooked up to a series of tubes and wires which appeared to be harvesting their very life-force from them.

They had discovered the source of the pure Quintessence.

**************************************

You found tears streaming down your face as Romelle concluded her tale, and Keith squeezed your shoulder sympathetically. You’d always felt the suffering of others quite keenly, and her story had broken your heart.

“He’s worse than Zarkon!” you sobbed, burying your face in Keith’s chest.

Hunk and Pidge were likewise horrified. “All this time…”

“I can’t believe he fooled us,” said Lance glumly.

Keith’s expression was dark. “He’s a monster.”

The console suddenly began beeping, and the vid-screen showed the Sincline ship exiting the trans-reality gate.

“What are you waiting for? Open fire!” Romelle cried.

“No! Princess Allura’s with him!” Lance objected.

“We’re gonna let him back on board?” Hunk sounded decidedly uncomfortable with that notion.

“We must,” Coran said with a sigh of regret. “As long as the princess is with him, we can’t risk any sort of attack.”

Shiro nodded. “Coran and Lance are right. We can’t do anything until the princess is safe. Once Allura is secure, we _will_ take Lotor down.”

**************************************

Allura and Lotor entered the bridge side by side, somewhat startled to find Coran and the other Paladins waiting, their expressions grim.

“What’s going on?” Allura asked.

Krolia and Keith sprung out from behind them, weapons drawn and held in Lotor’s direction. The space-wolf growled threateningly.

Lance summoned his own blaster with his Bayard. “Allura, step away from Lotor.”

The princess stood in front of him protectively. “I will do no such thing! Tell me what’s happening here!”

“Lotor is a monster!” cried an unfamiliar voice. “He has been harvesting Altean Quintessence for generations!”

Lotor’s eyes widened in surprise, then fear, as he realised at whom he was staring.

Allura gasped. “An Altean!”

Lotor scowled as Romelle continued. “You killed my brother, and thousands of others!”

“Lotor has been lying to us the whole time. He’s a murderer!” you hissed. “Just like his father!”

The new Galra Emperor straightened to his full height. “You know nothing of which you speak!”

“What are they talking about?” asked Allura.

“Allura, listen to me,” Lotor pleaded. “I’ve dedicated my life to preserving Altean culture. Now that we have unlocked the Quintessence field, all of your people – who would have been hunted down long ago had it not been for _my_ intervention – can live in peace. Were some lives lost in the process? Yes. But they were martyrs to a noble cause. I sacrificed a few to preserve the future for millions.”

The princess’s face grew stricken as she realised the implications of what Lotor had just admitted. She scrunched her face in disgust as Lotor took a step toward her, still pleading with her. “Allura, do not let this ruin everything we’ve worked for. Think of what we experienced in the Quintessence field.”

He reached for her hand, and in a fit of rage she threw him across the bridge of the Castle. He landed in an undignified heap near the space-wolf, who stood over him, growling menacingly.

An alarm sounded, and Coran cried in consternation, “The hangar’s been breached!”

You scanned the vid-screens, and noticed that Acxa, Ezor and Zethrid had somehow broken into the hangar and were heading towards the Sincline ships.

“It’s Lotor’s troops! They’re stealing the ships!” Hunk said.

Without warning, Shiro collapsed with a cry of pain, clutching his skull.

“Shiro?” Keith asked softly, his voice filled with worry.

“What’s happening to him?” you asked in a frightened voice as the Black Paladin continued to groan, his face contorted with pain.

“Allura and I will secure Lotor,” Lance announced decisively. “Hunk, help Shiro. Everyone else, get down to the hangar and stop those guys!”

Without argument, Keith led you, Krolia and Pidge down to the hangar to try and prevent Lotor’s generals from taking off with the Sincline ships.

**************************************

You arrived at the hangar just as one of the ships flew away. The second lifted off, and Ezor grinned as she fired at you before also leaving the hangar. All of you ducked for cover, trying to avoid the laser blasts. The amount of damage they were inflicting was staggering.

In surprise, you watched as Shiro ran past you – with the unconscious Lotor draped across his shoulders.

Allura’s voice sounded over the comms. “Shiro’s gone mad! He’s escaping with Lotor! Stop him before he leaves the ship!”

Pidge raced after him just as he jumped into one of the transport pods. She raised her Bayard, but hesitated to attack the Black Paladin, unable to bring herself to deliberately hurt him. She watched, stunned, as he flew away with Lotor. “What do we do?”

Keith helped you to your feet. “We have to stay focussed. Lance, Hunk, can you still pilot your Lions?”

“Yeah, I’ll manage,” Hunk replied.

“We’ve got this,” Lance said, more serious than you had ever heard him.

“Then let’s go,” Keith decided. “If we’re going to fight Lotor’s ships, we’ll need Voltron.”

“Shiro’s gone,” Pidge reminded him. “Who’s going to pilot the Black Lion?”

Keith stalked determinedly to the Black Lion’s hangar. “I will.”

And _there_ was the leader that you always knew he could be.

**************************************

“Y/N, you’re not bonded to the Black Lion!” said Keith, now dressed in his Paladin armour, even as you followed him to the hangar where Black sat motionless.

Stubbornly, you replied, “It doesn’t matter. You are not leaving me again. We do this together, or we don’t do it at all.”

“That’s my girl,” he said with a rueful laugh.

“Besides,” you reminded him, “You might not be bonded to it anymore, either. You broke the bond when you left, remember?”

“Well, we’re about to find out.”

To your surprise, the Black Lion stood up with a roar as the two of you approached. Apparently it approved of Keith’s decision to return as the head of Voltron, and it didn’t seem to mind that you were tagging along for the ride.

You just hoped that all of you had made the right decision.

**************************************

The Lions fired upon the Sincline ships, and the Black Lion flew after the pod which contained Shiro and Lotor.

“Shiro, it’s Keith!” Keith called. When there was no response, his voice softened. “Shiro, it’s gonna be okay. We just have to…”

His face fell as Shiro ended the transmission, but he had no time to feel sorry for himself as the cries of the others came through the comms.

With a snarl, he turned Black around and flew to the aid of the other Paladins, who were having trouble evading the fire from the Sincline ships. The Lions were fast and agile, but the Sincline ships were much more manouverable, and were causing a lot more damage than the Lions were.

Just as it appeared that the Green Lion was going to be taken out, the Black Lion came to the rescue, striking back at one of the ships with an enormous blast of its own.

“Guys, we’re no match for them in our Lions,” you said through gritted teeth.

Keith gave the order. “Form Voltron!”

The five Lions came together, and the Defender of the Universe prepared to take down the enemy.


	11. Truth Is, I'm A Liar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Keith take on a dangerous mission through a wormhole in an attempt to save Shiro – and yourselves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter based on Series 6 Episode 5: “The Black Paladins”
> 
> Flashbacks are in italics.

The Sincline ships fired in rapid succession as Voltron flew across the ravaged landscape of Daibazaal. Keith kept his eyes on Shiro, fleeing with the unconscious Lotor in one of the Castle’s transport pods, while the other Paladins helped to evade the enemy fire.

The three ships fired their lasers simultaneously, and you watched in amazement as the three separate beams joined together to create a single, more powerful laser. Begrudgingly, you admitted that the Sincline ships were a genius feat of engineering. It was a pity they were in the hands of the Galra.

Pidge brought up Voltron’s shield to defend everyone, but the powerful blast pushed Voltron back into a floating piece of debris.

“I’m headed your way!” Coran assured you.

“Coran, no!” Keith said. “The Castle of Lions barely survived the first time we fought one of those ships. You’ll only… Aaaaargh!”

His instructions were cut off with a pained yell as Voltron was hit by yet another intense blast.

“Keith is right, Coran,” Allura told him. “The ship’s defences will never hold!”  
  
Pidge squeaked, “Guys, we can’t take this much longer!”

“You guys have any ideas?” Lance asked, his voice hopeful.

“Coran, fire just below our position!” Keith told the Altean.

“What?” Coran’s voice betrayed his confusion.

“Destroy the rock we’re pinned against!” Keith explained. _“Now!”_

Coran did as instructed, and the Castle’s laser fire hit the rock, causing it to explode in a fiery ball, freeing Voltron in the process.

“Lance! Pidge! I need you to get us some cover!” Keith called out.

“We’re on it!” the Blue and Green Paladins confirmed. They both fired their Lions’ mouth cannons, causing the asteroids around them to explode as Voltron led the Sincline ships through the asteroid field.

“Who’s got eyes on Shiro?” Keith asked, his voice filled with desperation.

Voltron was suddenly pulled to a halt as one of the Sincline ships caught it in a plasma coil. The other two ships followed suit, trapping Voltron within their plasma lines and pulling it behind them. The three released the lines at the same time, flinging Voltron into a large asteroid.

“What just happened?” Pidge whispered, as each Paladin groaned in pain from the impact.

Your eyes widened in shock. “Is that…?”

An enormous blast of purple light shone in the distance, and Lance asked in a perplexed tone, “A wormhole?”

“They’re trying to escape!” Keith growled.

“Haggar,” hissed Allura, her normally sweet voice full of hatred. “It has to be Haggar! She must have gained the ability, but how?”

“We can’t worry about that now,” Keith cautioned. “We have to make sure we get Shiro back.”

Hunk sounded reluctant to speak. “But Shiro’s not… _Shiro,_ anymore.”

Keith took a deep breath, exhaling through his nose before he spoke in a relatively calm voice. “I know. But something is wrong with him. The Galra or Lotor have to be behind it. You all know he would never give up on us. We can’t give up on him!”

“And we won’t,” you assured him.

Slowly, painfully, Voltron got to its feet and flew towards the wormhole. As it flew through the debris field, however, it started to short-circuit.  
  
“We’ve lost a thruster!” you advised Keith as you scanned the controls.

“Guys!” Keith called. “One of my thrusters is down. Can you compensate?”

“Those beams torched our power core,” Pidge told him. “I’ve never seen anything like it!”

Hunk added, “We’ve got _maybe_ thirty seconds of over-clock burn time.”

_“Hit it!”_ Keith shouted.

“We’re halfway through our burn!” Hunk yelled as Voltron flew towards the wormhole.

“Twenty-five percent!” Shiro’s ship went through the wormhole.

“Fifteen percent!” The Sincline ships also entered.

“Eight percent!” The wormhole began to close, and Voltron still hadn’t reached it.

“We’re not going to make it!” Lance cried.

“We’re too heavy!” Pidge added.

“Disband!” you directed.

_“WHAT!”_ the other Paladins shouted in disbelief.

Keith understood your intent. “Y/N’s right! The energy created from disconnecting might create enough thrust to propel the Black Lion through the wormhole!”

“You’ll be the only ones on the other side!” Allura objected.

“Do it!” Keith ordered, and the other Paladins did as instructed. Voltron disbanded, with the other Lions heading back to the Castle. Keith pushed the remaining thruster to full capacity, hoping that it would be enough.

The Black Lion made it through the wormhole just as it collapsed.

**************************************

You and Keith found yourselves flying directly into the middle of a fleet of Galra warships. They immediately began firing upon the Black Lion.

“Okay, gotta play this smart,” Keith muttered.

“And just how do you plan to do that, Flyboy?” you asked.

“Watch and learn, sweetheart.” He flew in between each ship, over and under, ducking and weaving, reminding you once again just why he had been considered the best pilot of your generation.

Suddenly one of the Sincline ships turned back and began firing. Keith snarled and pushed Black forward, leading it through the mass of warships. Just as the Sincline ship seemed like it would gain on him, though, he flew straight up, causing Black to somersault backward and land directly on top of the ship. Its claws dug straight through the hull, causing a shower of fiery sparks to erupt before it flew off, badly damaged.

“Showoff,” you muttered affectionately, before pressing a kiss to his cheek.

Keith grinned at you before flying towards the largest warship, his instincts telling him that this was where Shiro was headed.

The Black Lion tore a hole through the hull of the ship, and you noted with consternation that Shiro was handing Lotor over to Ezor and Zethrid.

Before either of you could act, though, the damaged Sincline ship fired, causing Keith to fly away in a bid to escape.

“Think!” he said to himself in frustration. “How are we gonna get in there?”

Suddenly, he noticed the Altean pod leaving the warship.

“Shiro!” he tried contacting the pod. “Shiro, come in! I know you’re there!”

You opened the vid-screen, hoping that seeing Keith’s face would bring your mentor back to his former self.

“I don’t know what’s wrong,” Keith continued. “But I know we can fix this. Let me – let _us_ – help you.”

The Black Lion beeped urgently, its systems starting to fail.

“I know you’re hurting,” you told it. “We just need to keep it together a little longer.”

Black growled its assent as Keith continued to try and get through to the former Black Paladin.

**************************************

The Black Lion followed Shiro to a remote planetoid, landing near the Altean pod. You noted the footprints in the dirt, leading towards a ravine.

“Keith, I have a bad feeling about this,” you said apprehensively.

He gave your hand a squeeze. “So do I. But we have no choice. We have to try to save him. He’d do the same for us.”

“I know,” you sighed.

The two of you exited Black and followed Shiro’s footsteps. They led you to a cave, through a series of winding tunnels, until eventually you found yourselves standing in front of what appeared to be a mine shaft.

You climbed aboard the elevator and went far into the depths below, until it seemed as if you were in the very centre of the planet itself.

With a gasp, you saw what seemed to be a Galra facility of some sort. Row after row of cylinders stood before you. Keith shuddered, remembering the pods which housed the Alteans from whom Lotor had extracted their Quintessence.

“What is this place?” you asked in a frightened tone.

Keith didn’t answer, instead walking up to one of the cylinders. He placed his hand on it, and it lit up. He stepped back in shock, and you covered your mouth to prevent the scream which threatened to escape you.

Shiro was in the container.

Another container lit up, and another, until the true horror of what the facility contained was revealed.

Shiro was in _all_ of the containers.

A sinister voice came from behind you. “Hello, Keith.”

Keith turned to look behind him, and saw Shiro standing there. Except this wasn’t Shiro, not really, but rather a twisted version of him. His eyes glowed a menacing neon pink, his face was full of malice, and his posture was one of barely suppressed aggression.

“Shiro, it’s gonna be okay,” Keith tried to assure his beloved friend, as Shiro walked threateningly towards him.

“Yes, I know,” Shiro replied in a monotone as he walked closer.

“We just have to get back to the Castle.”

“ _We_ are not going _anywhere!”_ Shiro sprinted towards Keith, fully intent on charging at the young man.

You didn’t even stop to think. You summoned your Bayard into its staff form and moved protectively in front of Keith. “Don’t you touch him!”

Shiro didn’t even blink as he picked you up as if you weighed nothing. His hand squeezed around your throat. “You always were an annoying little insect. I’m going to enjoy crushing you.”

“Shiro…” you gasped, but he only squeezed tighter.

“You have done nothing but make Keith weak. He’ll be better off without you. One day, he’ll even thank me for doing him a favour and getting rid of you.”

You flailed uselessly against him, trying to free yourself from the crushing grip threatening to cut off your air supply.

“Shiro, let her go!” Keith shouted, too afraid for your safety to even think of drawing his own weapon.

“Fine.” Without blinking, Shiro tossed you aside forcefully, sending you crashing into one of the containers. You fell, unconscious, as the glass shattered around you.

Keith barely had time to bring up his shield before Shiro began relentlessly attacking him, smashing him into another container. Keith tried to defend himself with his sword, but Shiro punched him, sending him flying over the edge of the platform to the level below.

Keith managed to dodge out of the way just as Shiro leapt after him, aiming a punch at the ground where Keith had stood not a second before.

Shiro glared at him, and raced towards him, his prosthetic transformed into a blade to match Keith’s own.

They traded blow after blow, Shiro’s rage matched by Keith’s. He was infuriated by the fact that Shiro had hurt you without even batting an eyelid, and his failure to protect you drove him to attack his mentor in a way that he had never thought possible. Keith refused to give any ground, even after Shiro had punched him heavily in his lower jaw, sending his helmet flying and making him feel as if his brain was rattling inside his skull.

As Shiro jumped to the floor below, Keith swung on a broken power cord, using the momentum of his swing to kick Shiro in the chest. It sent him flying to the edge of the platform, and Keith gave a ferocious yell as he swung his blade at Shiro’s throat.

Shiro smirked as his prosthetic stopped the blade. “That’s the Keith I remember!”

Keith’s eyes widened in horror, and he took a step backward, suddenly seeming to realise who he was fighting.

Shiro took advantage of his momentary confusion to push forward, sending Keith’s blade flying out of his hand. His prosthetic blade glowed, and he slashed at Keith, who dodged aside at the last second. This caused Shiro to slice through the leg of a metal tower, which then collapsed in front of them, separating the two momentarily.

“Shiro!” Keith cried. “I know you’re in there! You made a promise once. You told me you’d _never_ give up on me.”

“And I should have abandoned you, just like your parents did,” Shiro mocked cruelly. “They saw that you were broken, worthless. I should have seen it too. Why do you think Y/N couldn’t stand the thought of being life-bonded to you? Because she deserves better than a useless, pathetic little boy.”

Keith ignored the painful taunts. “I’m not leaving here without you.”

Shiro’s grin grew even more menacing. “Actually, none of us are leaving.”

Keith watched as the facility’s generator powered up, set to self-destruct. In shock, he watched as Shiro’s prosthetic suddenly glowed white-hot, causing him to fall to his knees with cries of pain.

“Shiro!”

A beam of instense light shot out from Shiro’s arm, and Keith dodged out of the way before he could be sliced in half by the white-hot beam. He leapt away as another beam shot out, landing on the platform directly below you. He raced back to where you still lay, unmoving, even as Shiro followed him.

Keith pulled you out of the way as Shiro shot another beam, hitting the glowing red canisters lined up above you. Glass rained down, tinkling as it fell.

“Y/N, come on, wake up!” he muttered, trying to rouse you. “Y/N, you need to wake up. We gotta get out of here.”

You groaned weakly as your eyelids fluttered. “Keith…”

Suddenly, the platform upon which the two of you were situated was sliced by Shiro’s beam, causing it to tilt precariously. Keith grabbed you with one hand as you slid, as he tried to find something to halt your fall so that you both wouldn’t perish.

Another hit to the platform caused you both to tumble, and Keith held you desperately as he aimed for the narrow ledge below. He managed to land on the ledge with a thump, curling his body around you protectively in an attempt to minimise any further injuries to you. He panted heavily, looking through heavy lids as you lay still and silent, your breathing shallow.

Keith crawled to you, holding you close as he collapsed, exhausted.

A loud thump caused him to lift his head painfully, wearily, and he saw Shiro glaring down at him menacingly. His prosthetic still glowed in its sword form, and with a yell he swung at Keith’s head.

Keith managed to bring up his blade to protect himself, but Shiro had the advantage of height, and used his leverage to bring his blade ever closer to Keith’s face. Keith struggled to hold him off, trying to shield you with his body even as he attempted to push Shiro back.

“Shiro, please, you’re my brother!” he begged. “I love you!”

The declaration seemed to startle Shiro, as he momentarily lost focus. However, almost instantaneously, Shiro seemed to grow even more enraged. “Just let go, Keith! You don’t have to fight anymore. By now, your team’s already gone. I saw to it myself.”

He pushed his prosthetic ever closer to Keith’s face. It once again glowed white-hot, and Keith howled with pain as the radiant heat from it seared his flesh. With a snarl, Keith transformed his Galra blade once more into its sword form.

Surprising both the Black Paladins, however, was the fact that you were now awake, and had somehow managed to summon the Black Bayard, which was transformed into its katana form. You nodded weakly to Keith, and he immediately understood your plan.

Striking with both blades together, the two of you cut off Shiro’s prosthetic, causing the older man to fall back with a cry.

Painfully, unsteadily, you and Keith got to your feet, both blades still drawn. You watched as the angry pink light dimmed from Shiro’s eyes, before they returned to their usual black hue.

“Keith…” Shiro whispered. “Y/N…”

The facility exploded, debris raining down as the self-destruct sequence initiated. The platform upon which the three of you lay was hit by a large piece of falling structure, and Keith latched onto your hand while you clung to Shiro, now unconscious himself.

Keith grabbed the hilt of his Marmora blade and jammed it into the platform, hoping to haul all of you up to safety. However, the blade slipped, slicing through the platform. He groaned as he tried in vain to pull you back up.

“Keith,” you said weakly. “I don’t think I can hold on any longer.”

Your grip was slipping, as the weight of the unconscious Shiro pulled you down. Your own injuries were draining you of what little strength you had left, and you could feel yourself losing consciousness once again.

Keith blinked, and a memory of his early Garrison days flashed before him.

**************************************

_Admiral Sanda’s voice could be heard through the closed door. “The only reason this kid is still here is because YOU vouched for him. You need to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”_

_“Understood,” Shiro replied. “I’ll handle it.”_

_Keith sat outside the Admiral’s office, hands clenched into fists, as his tormenter glared back at him. Shiro stepped aside so that James Griffin could enter and give his version of events._

_Shiro stood before him. “Hey.”_

_Keith’s scowl deepened. “Look, I know I messed up. You should just send me back to the Home already. This place isn’t for me.”_

_“Keith, you can do this,” Shiro insisted. “I will never give up on you. But more importantly, you can’t give up on yourself.”_

_As Keith looked up at Shiro in surprise, both of them were startled to see you barge into the Admiral’s office without waiting for an invitation to enter._

_“Cadet Y/L/N, what is the meaning of this?” the Admiral cried._

_They could hear your voice, arguing that James should be punished as severely as Keith, as he was the one who began the fight. Keith could tell that you weren’t going to take ‘No’ for an answer, and he found himself wondering why you were sticking up for him when you didn’t particularly seem to like him._

_You exited the Admiral’s office, giving him a curt nod before stalking off without saying a word to him._

_Keith stared after you, with hope in his heart that maybe the two of you could be friends after all._

**************************************

Keith looked down at the two people he loved most in the world and, closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. Then, he did as Shiro had told him to do.

He let go.


	12. Level Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith finds himself on the astral plane, where he learns the truth about Shiro’s fate. 
> 
> An epic battle between the Paladins and Lotor leaves the universe in a state of chaos, threatening to destroy all life unless a sacrifice is made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter aligns with Series 6 Episode 6 “All Good Things” and Series 6 Episode 7 “Defender of All Universes”

“Keith.”

The voice sounded like an echo, as if it was coming from far away.

“Keith.”

More urgent this time. Keith blinked, confused, as he found himself standing in a field of stars. It appeared as if he was glowing.

_‘Am I dead?’_ he thought to himself. It was the only explanation he could think of.

“Keith.” That hollow-sounding voice again. It sounded like Shiro. Over and over, the voice called his name.

“Where are you, Shiro? Show yourself!” Keith summoned the Black Bayard, trying to work out why he was alone when he could clearly hear the other man.

“I know this must be confusing for you.”

The Bayard transformed into its katana form. “What is this place? Where are we? You were trying to kill me. The others, you said you…”

Keith’s eyes widened as he turned to look behind him.

Shiro stood there, looking the same as he always had, although nebulous, insubstantial, as if he wasn’t really there. “I’m not here to harm you. Everyone is fine.”

“Y/N’s not fine! You hurt her!” Keith yelled. He looked around for you, but you were nowhere to be seen. Panicking, he shouted, “Where is she? What have you done to her?”

“Just let me explain,” Shiro said. “The thing that attacked you both wasn’t me. Since my fight with Zarkon, I’ve been here.”

Keith frowned. “When you disappeared?”

“Yes. I didn’t know where I was, or how much time had passed. My physical form was gone. I existed on another realm.” Shiro sighed. “I died, Keith.”

Keith gasped, his heart breaking at this revelation.

“But the Black Lion somehow retained my essence,” Shiro continued.

“Is… is that where we are? In the Black Lion’s consciousness?”

“I tried to warn Y/N about the imposter while on Olkarion,” Shiro said. “But our connection was not strong enough…”  
  
Shiro shimmered and then vanished.

“Shiro!” Keith yelled. “Shiro!”

**************************************

Blinking, Keith sat up groggily. He found himself on the floor of the Black Lion, and you were lying nearby. You were once more unconscious from your injuries. Keith cradled you in his arms, tears falling as he remembered what Shiro had just told him.

He spoke gratefully to the Black Lion, who was flying away from the facility where so much pain had been inflicted on all of you. “You saved us.”

A groan was heard behind him, and Keith turned in shock to find Shiro – or rather, his clone – lying there. His prosthetic arm was gone, proof that you and Keith had rid him of the infection that the Galra had poisoned him with.

Keith stared at his mentor, even as he continued to hold you, while Black took all of you slowly back towards the Castle.

**************************************

“Hailing the Castle of Lions!” Keith opened up the vid-screen. “This is Keith!”

“Keith!” Lance actually sounded happy to hear from him. “You’re okay!”

“Where have you been?” Allura asked. “Did you get Shiro?”

“I got him.” Keith’s face grew grim. “But it’s not the Shiro we know. The Shiro that took Lotor was a clone.”

Allura and Lance looked at each other, before Lance asked, “Well then, where’s the real one? And where’s Y/N?”

“It’s complicated. Y/N’s injured; she’s resting in the back. I’ll explain everything later, but right now you need to focus on Lotor. I’ve picked up the Sincline ships on my scanners.” He sent the data to the Castle so that they could see what he had found. He went on. “It looks like Lotor’s headed back to your position. Right where you are.”

“He means to get back into the Quintessence field,” Allura guessed.

“I’m on my way back to you now, but without a wormhole it’s gonna take me a while. You’ll have to hold off Lotor without me.”

“We’ll do what we can,” Lance promised, before ending the transmission.

Keith closed his eyes as he reached out with everything he had. “Shiro, if you’re here, I could really use your help. I need to get to the team before Lotor.”

The Black Lion growled, before putting on a burst of speed.

**************************************

Keith could hear the other Paladins over the comms as they battled Lotor, while the Black Lion continued to limp towards them.

“Coran, shoot it with the cannon again!” cried Lance.

“I can’t! That was our last shot!” the Altean informed him.

Lance’s voice came again. “Pidge! Get out of his line of sight!”

“He’s locked onto me!” yelled the Green Paladin.

Keith concentrated even harder, trying to connect with Shiro’s spirit. “Shiro, I have to get to the Paladins. I need your help! Shiro.”

No response. “Shiro!”

Still nothing. Tightening his grip on the controls, Keith yelled as loud as he could. “SHIRO!”

He opened his eyes and found himself back on the astral plane. He jumped as a hand landed on his shoulder, and turned to find Shiro smiling down at him.

“Keith, you can get to them,” Shiro assured him. “But you must see them first.”

Keith’s brow furrowed. “But how?”

“See through the Lion’s eyes,” Shiro said. “Patience yields focus.”

Keith opened himself up to the Black Lion, and suddenly a bright light appeared in front of him, almost as if he was watching the sun rise. His focus shimmered briefly, before he found himself watching everything through Black’s eyes.

With a roar, the Lion showed him the other Paladins being attacked by the Sincline ships, which had somehow merged into one gigantic being, similar to Voltron.

“I see them!” Keith cried. His rage grew as he sensed the desperation of his team-mates. With a pained cry, he reached for them, his spirit calling out to theirs. He felt himself merging with the Black Lion, and they both roared in unison as an enormous pair of wings sprung from the Lion’s back. The Ephemeral Wings were twice as long as the Black Lion, and glowed brightly. It flew faster than Keith had ever flown before, seeming to move through hyperspace.

He arrived at the scene of the battle in mere seconds, finding the other Lions floating listlessly, drained of power.

Lotor powered up the Sincline robot, preparing to fire the death blow to end the Paladins.

His victory, however, was short-lived. With a roar, the Black Lion flew _through_ the Sincline ship, straight through the heart of it, disabling it.

The Black Lion’s wings returned to normal as it joined the other Lions.

“Keith! How did you get here so fast?” asked Lance, relieved that the head of Voltron had finally returned.

“I had some help,” Keith told him. “Now hurry, we don’t have much time. On me! Form Voltron!”

The robot defender came together and stood defiantly in front of Lotor’s mech, awaiting the final confrontation.

**************************************

“Coran, you’ve got incoming!” Keith alerted the Altean advisor to the transport pod bearing you and Shiro, both still unconscious, to the Castle of Lions. He knew it wasn’t much, but having both of you safe in the Castle would be one less thing for him to worry about while he and the others tried to take down Lotor.

Lotor’s mech fired a massive beam of energy at Voltron.

“Shield!” Keith ordered, and Pidge immediately brought it up to protect itself from the beam. However it was pinned down and pushed inexorably backward.

“Hunk, form cannon!” At Keith’s urging, Hunk created Voltron’s shoulder cannon and immediately fired at Lotor. Unfortunately, the mech was much faster than anything the team had encountered to date, avoiding the shot with astonishing speed.

Voltron continued to fire the shoulder cannon, obliterating asteroids as Lotor continued to evade the fire.

“He’s too fast!” Lance exclaimed.

Keith grunted. “Then we’ll have to get in close! Form sword!” Punching the Black Bayard into his console, Keith summoned Voltron’s enormous sword.

To the team’s shock, Lotor’s mech created a pair of scimitars, brandishing them before charging at Voltron with incredible speed. The two giant robots locked blades, clashing fiercely as each fought for dominance.

Lotor’s grin was positively evil. “Now we will see how Alfor’s legacy stands against the new Altean defender!”

Each swing of the scimitars drove Voltron further back. The mech’s speed and ferocity was more than a match for Voltron, and Lotor appeared to be gaining the upper hand.

“Move!” Keith shouted, just as the mech swung at Voltron yet again. Voltron dodged, and Lotor struck the asteroid directly behind it, slicing it in two as if it was a piece of fruit.

Before Voltron could move again, the mech was suddenly behind it, swinging at it again and again with its scimitars. One mighty punch sent Voltron flying backward, spinning helplessly away from the Castle. Keith managed to stop the spinning in time to see the mech striking yet again. “Shield up!”

The shield was brought up, and every Paladin was yelling with the strain. Keith’s face contorted with rage. “Attack!”

Pidge gladly obliged, firing the Green Lion’s mouth cannon even as Lance swung the sword at Lotor.

Lotor, however, retaliated in kind, raining blow after blow with his mech’s scimitars. The mech spun and hit Voltron viciously with its whiplike tail, once again sending it backward.

“We can’t touch it, he’s too fast!” growled Pidge.

“We need to stop him from moving around so much,” advised Hunk. “Back him into a corner or something.”

“Hunk is right,” Keith agreed. “We have to eliminate his speed advantage. Limit his movements.”

Looking around, he found what he hoped would be the answer. “There!”

Voltron headed towards a large piece of asteroid, and Lotor immediately gave chase.

“Now we lure him in close,” Keith told the others.

Seeming to have backed Voltron into a corner, Lotor fired upon them. Pidge again brought up Voltron’s shield to protect them from the worst of the laser fire, even as they were pushed back against the asteroid. However, as the rim of the asteroid was hanging ledge-like above Voltron, Lotor was unable to score a direct hit against them. In a rage, Lotor charged head-on towards them, scimitars raised to strike.

“Wait for him,” Keith said, as Lotor approached ever closer. “Let him build up speed.”

Just as Lotor was about to pierce Voltron’s heart, Keith yelled, “Now!” and flew out of the way, causing Lotor’s mech to slam heavily into the asteroid. Before it could recover, Voltron fired the Red and Green Lion’s mouth cannons at it, blasting it against the asteroid. They continued to fire until they had blasted a hole in the middle of the asteroid.

“Where’d he go?” asked Hunk, when it became apparent that Lotor had escaped.

“He’s behind us!” Pidge cried, noticing the flash of movement far behind.

As Voltron turned to face the enemy once more, Keith ordered, “Hunk! Hit it with the shoulder cannon!”

“On it!” Hunk once again formed the shoulder cannon, preparing to hit Lotor. The blast shot out towards Lotor, and he disappeared in a flash of light.

Lance blinked uncertainly. “Did we get him?”

“I don’t know,” Hunk replied.

Lance began to grin, his voice hopeful. “I think we got him!”

“It looked like he just… disappeared,” Pidge contradicted.

Lance pumped his fist. “Yeah, we got him!”

“I’m not so sure,” Allura said.

Just as she finished speaking, Lotor appeared in a flash of light behind Voltron, and struck it viciously. Voltron was sent crashing into a large asteroid, and Lotor’s mech prepared to strike the killing blow.

As the dust cleared, Keith shook his head. “Is everyone okay?”

Pidge’s voice was filled with frustration. “How is he moving so fast?”

“We’ve got to get up and attack!” Keith said in response. He flew Voltron directly at Lotor, who promptly disappeared the moment Voltron was in striking distance.

“O…kay,” Lance muttered. “So that time we definitely did _not_ get him.”

Lotor reappeared behind Voltron, striking it again before once more disappearing. As Voltron was sent flying, the mech once more appeared out of thin air, attacking again. It continued to do so over and over, disappearing and reappearing whilst hammering Voltron with a vicious onslaught of attacks before any of the Paladins could retaliate.

“How can he just disappear like that?” moaned Hunk.

“He’s… entering the Quintessence field at will,” Allura guessed.

Hunk was confused. “Didn’t we blow up the gate?”

“How is he entering without it?” Pidge demanded.

Allura’s eyes filled with tears of frustration as she realised the truth. “Because _I_ gave his ships the ability.”

Voltron was hit from behind once more, and Lotor’s mocking voice was heard through the comms. “Unlimited power is mine! All realities will fall to the new Altean Empire!”

The mech fired the biggest energy beam the team had ever seen, and despite bringing up its shield, Voltron was knocked down by the ensuing blast. Lotor disappeared once more as Voltron drifted listlessly through space.

Keith groaned wearily. “We have to go in after him. Getting power from the Quintessence is the only way we can match his strength.”

“Can we do that?” Hunk queried.

“If he can do it, Voltron can,” Pidge declared confidently. Then, more uncertainly, “Can’t we?”

“My father did it once before, but…” Allura was uncertain. “It’s extremely dangerous.”  
  
“Do we have a choice?” Lance’s tone indicated that the correct answer was not in the affirmative.

“We need your help, Allura,” Keith said. “We have to try.”

“I _may_ be able to guide us in, but I’ll need you all to focus your energy,” the princess replied.

Every Paladin did as she asked, closing their eyes and focussing on connecting as strongly as possible with each other. Allura harnessed their energy, drawing it into herself before passing it onto Voltron. She connected with Voltron, and a bright light suddenly appeared as the Quintessence field shimmered through the rift before them.

“Form sword,” came Allura’s voice, firm and clear.

Voltron’s sword appeared, ablaze with a brilliant flame. It flew, sword raised, to the area where the inter-reality gate had previously been, and pierced the rift with its sword. A brilliant white light surrounded them, and when Keith opened his eyes, he found himself staring in wonder at the Quintessence field.

Voltron turned, and found itself once again facing Lotor’s mech.

“I underestimated you, Princess,” Lotor said. The mech once more raised its twin scimitars before flying straight toward Voltron.

Voltron raised its sword, and the two giant robots clashed, each striking and defending in rapid succession. Neither appeared able to gain the upper hand; finally, both were evenly matched as the Quintessence levelled the playing field. Indeed, Voltron appeared to be gaining strength from the Quintessence, appearing to fight Lotor much more easily now.

“All of this Quintessence is keeping us at full power,” Hunk noted.

“It’s more than that,” Keith said, as a chorus of growls could be heard. “Can you hear your Lions talking to you? Voltron is capable of more than we ever imagined.”

With a surge of power, Voltron attacked with renewed vigour and fury. The battle with the mech became more intense, blades clashing as both robots flew through the Quintessence field, each attack becoming more aggressive as the battle raged on.

“See if you can dodge _this!”_ Pidge shrieked, punching the mech with the Green Lion.

Lance and Hunk also attacked far more aggressively than they usually did, seemingly intent on destroying Lotor and his mech forever.

Allura, however, seemed to sense the danger they were all in. “We have to get out of here!”

“What are you talking about?” gasped Keith.

“This is exactly what happened to Zarkon!” the princess told him. “Exposure to all this Quintessence turned him into a monster!”

Suddenly, Lotor cackled maniacally. “Poor Allura! All the power in the universe at your fingertips, and you still fear using it!”

The mech charged towards Voltron, scimitars raised.

Lance shook himself out of his daze. “Allura’s right. We’re outta control!”

“All our systems are overloaded!” Pidge cried in alarm.

Keith shouted, “Here comes Lotor!”

He flew Voltron out of the way just as the mech was about to strike. It chased them through the Quintessence field, even as Keith continued to evade the attacks.

“How do we stop this?” Hunk cried.

Allura’s voice was firm. “We give Lotor all the power he wants.”

She closed her eyes and once again connected with Voltron. Its chest glowed brightly, and Allura used her alchemic ability to purge it of the excess Quintessence, funnelling it all directly into Lotor’s mech. Even as Lotor continued to fly towards them, Voltron unleashed every ounce of its excess energy. With a final blast, the Quintessence was released, effectively overloading the Sincline-mech and disabling it.

“Let’s grab Lotor and get out of here,” Keith directed.

“No, we can’t. We have to leave now!” Pidge told him, as Voltron’s systems continued to overload.

Allura was loathe to leave Lotor to his fate, no matter how mad he had become. “We must try!”

“Pidge is right,” Hunk reiterated. “We stay in here much longer and Voltron is done for!”

“But we can’t just leave him!” protested Allura.

“Allura, we gotta go _now!”_ Lance shouted.

Keith spoke softly. “Lotor’s made his choice. Let’s get out of here, Allura.”

Reluctantly, the princess agreed.

Leaving Lotor floating helplessly in his now incapacitated mech, Voltron escaped the Quintessence field.

**************************************

Allura’s voice was sad. “If we’d stayed in the Quintessence field, we would have kept fighting until we destroyed ourselves. Just like Lotor.”

“What did you do in there?” asked Keith.

“I transferred the excess power from Voltron,” she explained in a monotone. “It’s a technique I learned on Oriande. Thanks to Lotor.”

“Thank you, Allura,” Lance said softly. “You saved us.”

“Not just us,” Hunk added. “The entire universe.”

The Castleship flew up behind Voltron, and Coran’s voice was filled with joy. “Ah! You’re back!”

“Lotor’s no longer a threat,” Keith told him.

“Right. I’m afraid we face a bigger threat now,” Coran replied. “All of Lotor’s jumping in and out of the Quintessence field has created multiple growing rifts in the fabric of time and space.”  
  
Lance gulped. “What does that mean?”

“It means that unless we do something fast, those tears will continue to expand until all of existence as we know it has been destroyed,” Pidge said seriously.

Keith watched the holes in reality as they sparked and expanded. “There has to be something we can do.”

“Scanning the rift for any strand refabrication possibilities,” Pidge declared as she typed furiously on her console.

“I’m running a few models now to see if there’s any chance it could close on its own,” Hunk added.

Neither of the tech-heads could find anything that would help to close the tears in reality.

“How long do we have?” Keith asked them.

Coran answered, “Well, based on the way those rifts are expanding, I’d say about fifteen doboshes.”

“Allura, you _have_ to have a way to close it,” Lance urged the princess. “Voltron opened it up. Maybe we can… I dunno, but there’s gotta be a way.”

“I’m sorry, but I just don’t possess that level of alchemic knowledge,” apologised Allura.

Pidge said, “The only thing that could possibly pull that rift closed would be a source of gravity more powerful than a supermassive black hole.”

“Any chance we could find one and tow it over here in fifteen doboshes?” asked Lance.

“Wait a tick!” Coran had a flash of inspiration. “The teludav!”  
  
“What about it?” Keith asked, not grasping where Coran’s train of thought was leading.

“In order to make wormhole jumps, the teludav creates a brief flash of infinite mass. There might be a way that I can overload the teludav reactor and seal the rift! If one of the flashes went off in the rift, it could do the job.”

Hunk sounded doubtful. “But that would mean sacrificing the Castle of Lions.”

“Well, what choice do we have?” Pidge wanted to know. “The Castle will be wiped out with the rest of us.”

“But still, it’s been our home…” said Hunk mournfully.

“I hate to say goodbye to my grandfather’s creation,” Coran lamented. “The last piece of the real Altea.”

Allura clearly had no room for sentiment. “Coran, begin preparations. Everyone else, start unloading the Castle. We need to evacuate immediately.”

**************************************

Everyone worked as fast as they could, dismantling tech and loading as much of the Castle’s infrastructure as was practical into the Lions. Krolia moved the healing pods containing you and Shiro inside the Black Lion, knowing Keith would want neither of you out of his sight.

Hunk, of course, ensured that each Lion was loaded with sufficient food to last for the long journey. No way was he going to let everyone starve.

Once everything was ready, Coran activated the teludav, then boarded the Blue Lion with Allura and Romelle. The team evacuated the Castle and watched from a safe distance as the Castle entered the rift. The teludav overloaded, just as intended, and exploded. As Coran had theorised, the resulting explosion caused the rifts to close.

“It worked!” Hunk yelled triumphantly as he scanned the skies to ensure that the rifts were, indeed, closed. “And look!”

He flew the Yellow Lion towards something shimmering where the rifts had been only moments before.

“What is it?” Keith asked, his voice coloured with curiosity.

“It’s a diamond,” Hunk said, his voice full of awe. “The pressure crushed the Castle of Lions into this tiny little diamond.”

The Yellow Lion grabbed the diamond in its jaws before flying back to join the others.

Lance gave a huge sigh. “Well, we saved all realities everywhere. What do you guys want to do now?”

“We need to find some place to land,” Keith replied. “And see if there’s some way we can help Shiro and Y/N.”

**************************************

The Lions landed on a small planet, and Keith and Krolia brought both you and Shiro out of the healing pods.

You had suffered several cracked ribs and severe bruising during your fight with Shiro; however, your injuries were not life-threatening, and Allura assured Keith that with a few days of rest you would likely be almost as good as new. She placed a palm to your forehead, sending her healing energy into you. After a few moments, you took a deep, shuddering breath, and slowly blinked your eyes open.

“Keith?” you whispered.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he said softly, helping you sit up. “Glad to see you’re finally awake.”

You caressed Keith’s face with a frown, noting the scar marring his cheek. “What happened to you? Is that a Galra mark?”

“Shiro wounded me.” Keith looked at you worriedly. “Does it look bad?”

“More like badass,” you smiled softly. “Chicks dig scars, remember?”

Keith and Lance helped you to your feet, and you found yourself being embraced by everyone as they expressed their relief that you were all right. The space-wolf joyfully bumped its muzzle into your hand, growling affectionately when you twined your fingers into its shaggy fur.

Keith’s relief that you would be okay was tempered by the fact that Shiro was barely clinging to life. He knelt beside his mentor, staring at him sadly. “His body’s barely living, but Shiro’s spirit is alive. It’s inside the Black Lion. I’ve heard him talking to me.”

“He… he tried to tell me but… I didn’t realise.” Tears fell down your cheeks as you looked at the unconscious man. You fell to your knees as you wept against Shiro’s chest. “I’m so sorry, Shiro. I… I didn’t know! I… I could have…”

Allura placed a hand on your shoulder, calming you with her touch. With a smile, she walked purposefully towards the Black Lion and place her hands against its muzzle. Closing her eyes, she connected with it as she attempted to draw Shiro’s spirit out of the Lion. When it was done, she glowed with a bright purple light.

Walking back, she knelt beside Shiro and placed her hands on his head. The team watched, fascinated, as she transferred his spirit back into the clone body. Shiro’s hair turned snow white as the energy flowed through the Princess.

With a gasp, Shiro sat up, coughing violently before collapsing against Keith.

The Black Lion roared triumphantly, and the other Lions followed suit. The other Paladins and Coran cried unashamedly, while you and Keith just smiled softly at each other. Shiro was back.

“You found me,” Shiro whispered as he looked up at Keith.

“We’re glad you’re back, Shiro,” the Red Paladin whispered back.

Allura gave him a gentle smile. “Rest.”

With a soft sigh, Shiro complied, falling into an exhausted sleep as Keith continued to hold him.

“So what are we gonna do?” Hunk asked. “The Castle is destroyed.”  
  
Pidge spoke seriously. “There’s only one place that has the plans necessary to build a replacement for the Castle of Lions. Coran gave them to my dad.”

Keith placed Shiro down gently, before getting to his feet and smiling at each of you in turn. “We’re going home.”


End file.
